Canada to Transfer Confiscated Russian An-124 Ruslan to Ukraine

Canada has initiated the procedure to confiscate a Russian An-124 Ruslan transport aircraft belonging to the Volga-Dnepr airlines.

ZN.ua reported on this, citing Olha Stefanishyna, Ukraine’s Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Justice.

The aircraft from this Russian company has been on Canadian territory since 2022, when it was detained at Toronto airport shortly after the start of Russia’s full-scale invasion of Ukraine.

Stefanishyna emphasized that Canada’s decision resulted from systematic cooperation between Ukraine’s Ministries of Justice and Foreign Affairs and international partners.

“I’m confident that all these efforts are leading to one outcome: the Ruslan aircraft will soon find a new home in Ukraine, where it will serve the needs of our country,” she said.

The legal basis for the claim stems from a decision by Ukraine’s High Anti-Corruption Court in August 2023, which imposed sanctions on the aircraft.

The An-124 was officially seized in June 2023. Shortly afterward, then-Prime Minister of Canada Justin Trudeau announced plans to transfer the aircraft to Ukraine.

As Stefanishyna noted, the confiscation is being carried out in accordance with Canada’s Special Economic Measures Act, and the final decision is to be made by the Ontario Superior Court.

Militarnyi previously reported that Canada would transfer the An-124 Ruslan aircraft confiscated from Russia to Ukraine as part of new sanctions against Russian companies.

In addition to the aircraft, Canada will transfer other assets of the Russian company Volga-Dnepr in favor of Ukraine.

In April 2022, the court arrested 12 An-124-100 transport aircraft of the Russian airline as part of a criminal proceeding opened at the request of the Antonov State Enterprise.

According to the decisions, three An-124-100 aircraft were banned from leaving Germany, one from Canada. The arrest was made to ensure the preservation of physical evidence and subsequent compensation for damages.

The Federal Air Transport Agency (Rosaviatsia) illegally granted the right to the company, part of the Volga-Dnepr group of companies, to issue airworthiness certificates for An-124 aircraft.

In recent years, Volga-Dnepr had effectively been issuing safety certificates to itself, jeopardizing the safe operation of its aircraft — a violation of international convention provisions.

The aircraft are to be transferred under the management of Ukraine’s National Agency for the Detection, Tracing, and Management of Assets Derived from Corruption and Other Crimes.