The Canadian government confiscated a Russian cargo plane that has been at Toronto Pearson Airport since February 2022.
This is reported by CTV News Toronto.
According to a government press release, the An-124 aircraft belongs to a subsidiary of Volga-Dnepr Airlines LLC and the Volga-Dnepr group of companies against which Canada recently imposed sanctions.
The Russian plane was scheduled to depart Toronto shortly after arriving from China in February 2022, but that flight was canceled when the Canadian government closed airspace to Russian air operators.
In April 2022, the Toronto Airports Authority announced that an aircraft owner must pay 74 cents per minute to park at Pearson Airport, or $1,065.60 for every 24 hours.
The Canadian government will dispose of the plane in accordance with federal law, and if it is confiscated by the Crown, the plane can be transferred to Ukraine.
"Should the asset ultimately be forfeited to the Crown, Canada will work with the Government of Ukraine on options to redistribute this asset to compensate victims of human rights abuses, restore international peace and security, or rebuild Ukraine," the government said in a statement.
Federal Transport Minister Omar Algabra said the seizure was a "clear signal" to Russia.
- On June 10 , Canada allocated a new package of military aid to Ukraine worth 500 million Canadian dollars (about $400 million). The list includes 287 additional AIM-7 Sparrow missiles for air defense and 10,000 155 mm shells.