Canada seizes Russian cargo plane

The Canadian government has announced the seizure of a Russian cargo plane parked in Toronto, a move described by Moscow's ambassador as "theft".

The Canadian government announced on June 10 that it had seized an Antonov An-124 transport aircraft believed to belong to Russian airline Volga-Dnepr Airlines, which was parked at Pearson Airport in Toronto. Volga-Dnepr Airlines is one of the organizations that Ottawa has imposed sanctions on in recent months.

According to the statement, this is "Ottawa's first move to increase pressure on Russia" in response to Moscow's campaign in Ukraine. Ottawa will discuss with Kiev options for using the assets to compensate victims of human rights abuses, restore international peace and security or rebuild Ukraine.

The decision to seize the Russian plane was also mentioned by Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau at a press conference with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky in the capital Kiev on the same day.

"It is illegal. It is theft. The Trudeau government has shown that there is no rule of law in Canada," Russian Ambassador to Ottawa Oleg Stepanov told TASS .

An Antonov An-124 aircraft believed to belong to Russian airline Volga-Dnepr parked at Pearson Airport, Toronto, Canada on March 21, 2022. Photo: Canadian Press

According to RT , the An-124 was chartered by the Canadian government from a Russian airline to transport a shipment of Covid-19 tests from China. The plane landed in Toronto on February 27, 2022, just hours before Canada closed its airspace to all Russian aircraft.

The An-124 was then forced to stay at Pearson Airport while the crew was allowed to return to Russia. The aircraft’s owner was charged 74 cents per minute for parking at the airport, the Greater Toronto Airport Authority told CTV News Toronto in April 2022, adding up to more than $1,000 a day in costs.

Canada is a member of NATO and the G7. It has imposed many sanctions on Russia in response to Moscow's campaign in Ukraine. Canada is also one of the countries that actively provides military support to Ukraine to fight Russia, with a total estimated value of about 8 billion USD.

Nhu Tam (According to Global News, TASS )

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