Private Plane to Russia Detained in Helsinki Over Suspected Sanctions Evasion

A private Beechcraft B55 Baron flying from Latvia to Russia’s Pskov was detained at Helsinki Airport during a refueling stop on suspicion of circumventing Western sanctions, reports LRT on December 19.

The plane landed in Finland on December 4. According to the Lithuanian public broadcaster, as of December 17, the aircraft remained in Helsinki, with local journalists confirming its detention.

Finnish authorities declined to comment on the matter.

The aircraft, registered in Lithuania, was reportedly not scheduled to refuel in Helsinki. Authorities were also suspicious of the flight route, as a direct path from Latvia to Pskov would have been faster.

The plane was piloted by Lithuanian citizen Robertas Petkus, who has previously been linked to investigations by LRT regarding potential sanction evasion. In April 2023, Petkus flew a Beechcraft B24R Sierra from Kaunas Airport to Pskov, which was later sold in Moscow for €138,000. Sellers claimed the deal was conducted with a buyer in Kazakhstan.

The detained plane also carried a Latvian citizen, Roberts Klimovich, who acted as a sales intermediary. Klimovich stated that his close relatives in Latvia had purchased the aircraft and that he was traveling to Kazakhstan via Russia.

He noted that the route through Finland was chosen due to what he perceived as less stringent flight controls in the country.

LRT alleges that the detained aircraft was sold with the involvement of Lithuanian government official Ritis Dulinskas, an advisor to the head of the Flight Operations Control Department at the Lithuanian Transport Competence Agency and manager of Aviacom. Dulinskas denied any direct connection to the aircraft, claiming he only helped a friend facilitate its sale.

It was previously reported that Russia had projected the production of 108 passenger planes in 2022, but due to Western sanctions targeting foreign components vital to Russian aviation, only 7 planes have been produced by the United Aircraft Corporation, according to the BBC.