newstodate.aero

May 07, 2025 (newstodate): Since February 2022, an AN-124-100 Ruslan cargo aircraft has been parked at Toronto Pearson International Airport.
   The aircraft operated and owned by the Volga-Dnepr Group was carrying Chinese Covid-19 gear to Canada but left grounded after Russia's invasion of Ukraine on February 24, 2022, and the ensuing closure of Russian airspace.
   In June 2023, Canada ordered the seizure of the aircraft as part of its sanctions in response to Russia’s actions in Ukraine, and the Canadian government announced its intention to hand over the aircraft to Ukraine to use for post-war reconstruction and compensation for victims of human rights abuses.
   This claim was disputed by Volga-Dnepr Airlines, filing a lawsuit in December 2023 challenging the legality of the sanctions and seizure and claiming that it had not participated in Russian military activities and had no ties to groups such as the Wagner Group.
   The Canadian government has now taken further legal steps to gain full possession of the freighter, indicting additional parties including Alexey Ivanovich Isaikin, Volga-Dnepr (Ireland) Limited, Volga-Dnepr Logistics BV, and Sberbank, as well as Volga-Dnepr Group of Companies and Volga-Dnepr Airlines believed to be directly or indirectly involved in the ownership or control of the aircraft.