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Canada Moves to Confiscate Russian An-124 “Ruslan” Cargo Plane
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Canada has initiated the process of confiscating the Antonov An-124 Ruslan cargo plane, which belongs to the Russian airline Volga-Dnepr and has already been under arrest in Canada.
This was reported by the Minister of Justice of Ukraine, Olha Stefanishyna, on May 6.
“The confiscation process is being carried out under Canada’s Special Economic Measures Act, and the decision on the confiscation is currently pending approval by the Ontario Superior Court,” Stefanishyna wrote on her Facebook account.
The plane belonging to the Russian company has been in Canada since 2022, where it was detained at Toronto’s airport shortly after the start of Russia’s full-scale invasion of Ukraine.
The official arrest of the An-124 took place in June 2023. Later, then-Prime Minister of Canada Justin Trudeau announced plans to transfer the aircraft to Ukraine.
Stefanishyna noted that Canadian authorities filed the seizure petition after Ukraine’s Ministry of Justice provided them with an August 2023 ruling from the Ukrainian High Anti-Corruption Court, which imposed sanctions on the aircraft.
“I am convinced that all actions lead to one: Ruslan will soon have a new home, in Ukraine, where it will serve for the benefit of our country,” the Minister added.
The Antonov An-124 Ruslan is a large, heavy-lift cargo aircraft developed by the Ukrainian company Antonov. It is one of the heaviest cargo planes in the world and was designed to transport oversized and heavy cargo, including military equipment, vehicles, and industrial machinery.
According to Militarnyi, Rosaviatsiya unlawfully granted a company within the Volga-Dnepr Group the authority to issue airworthiness certificates for the “Ruslan” aircraft.
The outlet added that in recent years, Volga-Dnepr has been issuing certificates to itself, jeopardizing the safe operation of the aircraft, which violates the provisions of international conventions.
