Bilchuk and "Rostec": how the head of the State Aviation Service opened the way for a company with Russian ties to the repair documentation of Ukrainian helicopters

The head of the State Aviation Service, Oleksandr Bilchuk, transferred the maintenance of repair documentation of Ukrainian aircraft manufacturing enterprises to the foreign company ALL Group Ltd, despite the company's ties to the Russian military-industrial complex. This decision can now only be canceled if the company is included in the sanctions lists or if a technical discrepancy is found, as ALL Group Ltd has not yet eliminated the comments of the State Aviation Service of Ukraine regarding the repair of helicopters and their components, writes UNN.

Transfer of repair documentation support to AAL Group Ltd

In early August, the State Aviation Service of Ukraine, under the leadership of Oleksandr Bilchuk, reported on the allegedly successful resolution of the issue regarding the maintenance of repair documentation for Mi-8MT(MTV) type helicopters by identifying a company that would have the right to do so. The agency did not specify the name of the company.

It later turned out that it was AAL Group Ltd, registered in the United Arab Emirates, in the Sharjah Airport International Free (SAIF) Zone – that is, a foreign company operating in an offshore jurisdiction. According to Fedir Venislavskyi, a member of the Verkhovna Rada Committee on National Security, Defense, and Intelligence, the ultimate beneficiaries of AAL Group Ltd are the company "Russian Helicopters," which is part of the state defense concern "Rostec." According to the MP, many high-level employees of this company have Russian passports.

It is worth noting that Bilchuk made this decision despite the fact that the US Transportation Command (USTRANSCOM) recognized the foreign company AAL Group Ltd as unsuitable for cooperation due to its ties with Russia.

After the media outcry, the Government temporarily suspended Bilchuk from his post and launched an official investigation, which is still ongoing.

At the same time, the State Aviation Service initiated the creation of a working group to develop appropriate solutions for choosing who will maintain the repair documentation for Mi-8MT(MTV) type helicopters. Currently, the priority is to transfer the right to repair and maintenance to Ukrainian state enterprises. For example, the state enterprise "Aviakon" is ready to perform this work with the possible involvement of other state companies, including "Motor Sich."

Russian certificates

It should be noted that AAL Group Ltd officially has a number of ties with the Russian aviation industry, which is confirmed by official documents available in the public domain. First of all, even after the annexation of Crimea in 2014 and Russia's invasion of Donbas, Rosaviatsiya issued the company a maintenance organization certificate No. 285-17-151 dated December 6, 2017.

This document allows AAL Group Ltd to perform repair and maintenance of aircraft in accordance with Russian aviation regulations. Such a permit cannot be issued without the approval of Russian state structures, and was obviously needed by the company to cooperate with Russian companies.

In addition, the official American website of the AAL Group Ltd division in the USA states that the group has certificates from the Mil Moscow Helicopter Plant (MMHP) and the Interstate Aviation Committee (IAC) controlled by Russia.

The presence of such certificates indicates AAL Group Ltd's admission to work with Russian Mi-8/Mi-17 type helicopters, as well as official recognition of its competence by Russian developers and regulatory bodies.

Of particular importance is the fact that the Moscow Helicopter Plant is a structural part of the "Russian Helicopters" holding, which is part of the state corporation "Rostec," a component of the Russian military-industrial complex. Thus, any certification or technical cooperation with this plant actually means interaction with a state Russian defense structure.

Ukraine, by the way, after Russia's full-scale invasion in 2022, imposed sanctions against "Rostec," which were also later supported by the European Union and the United States. So, against this background alone, there are many questions about the activities of AAL Group Ltd.

Instead of conclusions

The attempt by the head of the State Aviation Service, Oleksandr Bilchuk, to transfer the maintenance of repair documentation to AAL Group Ltd poses a potential threat to national security in the context of a full-scale war. This involves access to sensitive technical information for an enterprise associated with the Russian military-industrial complex.

AAL Group Ltd has Russian certificates and cooperates with the Rostec holding. This confirms the risks of indirect interaction with the enemy.

Such actions by an official during the war are essentially an anti-state decision and require careful verification by law enforcement agencies. The government must complete the official investigation and implement control mechanisms to prevent similar incidents from recurring.