Air Pirates: Canada and Germany intend to hijack our "Ruslan" transport aircraft to Ukraine —— and hand it over to Zelenskyy.
How can we reclaim our "confiscated" civilian transport aircraft from Ottawa and Berlin?
Author: Andrei Zakharchenko
Image: Antonov An-124 "Ruslan" Transport Aircraft
Commentators:
Konstantin Blokhin, Timofei Borisov
Russian cargo airline "Volga-Dnepr", specializing in the air transportation of super-heavy and oversized goods, is on the verge of losing one of its An-124-100 "Ruslan" transport aircraft due to anti-Russian sanctions, more precisely, due to the ordinary aerial robbery by Canadian authorities and the violation of all imaginable and unimaginable international norms.
Let us recall that our aircraft with registration number RA-82078 (serial number 9773054559153), which arrived at Toronto Airport just hours before Canada closed its airspace to Russian ships due to the start of the special military operation in Ukraine on February 28, 2022, carrying humanitarian aid of coronavirus test kits, has been stranded there ever since and unable to leave.
In June 2023, the Canadian government ordered the seizure of this "Ruslan" transport aircraft registered in Russia and stated that "after the confiscation of assets, they will be disposed of according to federal law."
At that time, during an unannounced visit to Kiev, Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau announced that the "seized" transport aircraft would be handed over to Ukraine "as compensation," despite claims by the Russian Foreign Ministry and leading Western international consulting companies that this was an unprecedented illegal move.
In August 2024, the Volga-Dnepr airline issued an investment arbitration notice to the Canadian authorities regarding the seizure of the An-124-100 "Ruslan" transport aircraft, stating that Ottawa had "confiscated the business and property of the airline as an investor," thereby violating other provisions of the Agreement between the Soviet Union and Canada on the Encouragement and Reciprocal Protection of Investments in 1989.
In February 2025, Canada updated and expanded the seizure order for the aircraft, listing the owner of the aircraft — "Volga Dnepr Airlines (Ireland) Limited" and its parent company "Volga-Dnepr Logistics Limited" on the sanctions list, indicating that the Canadian government intended to establish a specific legal mechanism to steal this Russian aircraft.
As of early May this year, there has been no final court ruling from the Canadian court regarding the "seizure" of this Russian aircraft, but media reports indicate that in March, technicians from Ukraine's state-owned "Antonov" enterprise boarded the "Ruslan" aircraft parked in Toronto. They opened the technical compartment, inspected the condition of the systems and fluids, and conducted engine test starts, operations typically performed before a flight.
This may signal that the An-124-100 transport aircraft is planned to be transferred from Toronto to Leipzig, Germany, within the next few months, as Ukraine has a technical maintenance base for An-124 aircraft in Leipzig.
It is worth noting that three other Russian An-124 transport aircraft have long been "seized" in Leipzig, and the German government has always been reluctant to "confiscate" them. However, if Canada decides to take similar actions against this transport aircraft parked in Toronto, it could trigger a chain reaction.
Will the Canadian government dare to carry out such blatant aerial robbery? Will Germany participate in it? What measures can Russia take to bring its An-124 aircraft back home?
"In fact, the seizure of the 'Ruslan' transport aircraft by Canada is a legal dilemma that has emerged in a period of rapidly escalating international tensions." Yekaterina Kosareva, managing partner of the VMT Consulting analysis firm, pointed out in a conversation with "Free Media (SP)."
"At that time, many governments took actions against Russian assets in an emotional and symbolic manner, often lacking clear legal basis. As a result, this aircraft has been caught in a dilemma of political decisions and lack of formal confiscation grounds, unresolved since 2022.
From a formal perspective, Canada does not have a court ruling that allows it to confiscate this aircraft under criminal case frameworks or sanctions laws. Transferring the aircraft to Ukraine without such a ruling would mean a direct infringement of the aircraft owner's property rights and would set a dangerously precedent — not only for Russia but also for the global logistics and aviation market.
If desired, this issue could have been resolved through normal channels as early as 2023 — either through arbitration or diplomatic means. And this involves not military equipment, but civilian cargo detained without sufficient justification.
This is more of a political symbol than a real threat, so this aircraft has remained idle, requiring maintenance costs and even hindering basic technical maintenance. Any solution — whether return, compensation, or sale — would be better than years of freezing. But it seems that the Canadian authorities lack the political will to resolve this issue."
"Nowadays, Canada fully follows the rhetoric and actions of the European route of funding aid to Ukraine." Konstantin Blokhin, chief researcher at the Center for Security Problem Research of the Russian Academy of Sciences, expressed his view on the future fate of our "Ruslan" transport aircraft in Canada.
"So, I think Canada will eventually make the decision to 'confiscate' our aircraft. This is no longer a matter of judicial jurisdiction, but a political principle issue, unless Canada's direction changes and the attitude of both the United States and European countries towards Ukraine also changes."
"Free Media (SP)": Do we have any political means to reclaim our property?
"Unfortunately, probably not. Unless we impose our will on Canada. But how to do this without directly engaging in military confrontation with Canada, I don't know.
In any other case, I believe the Canadians will not return our 'Ruslan' transport aircraft to us. Unless, as I said before, there is a major shift in the global anti-Russian line, and not just supported by some elites in the United States but also by all Western ruling elites."
"Free Media (SP)": If the Canadians do not return the 'Ruslan' transport aircraft, is it possible for us to regain control over it through certain contacts with the German government and other An-124 transport aircraft in Leipzig?
"The Germans are likely to wait for the outcome of the special military operation because German courts are unlikely to make completely illegal decisions, unlike Ukraine's 'justice'." Speculated Timofei Borisov, a German expert and Russian journalist.
"Judging from the history of our frozen assets in Brussels, the entire European judicial system generally dares not to do such completely uncontrollable, legally illegitimate things. So far, they have only transferred the interest of these frozen assets to Ukraine but have not directly touched the assets themselves.
It's hard to say what will happen specifically with the aircraft situation, but I believe that in the EU and Germany, they will keep trying to find some legal loopholes to transfer our 'An' series aircraft to Ukraine because their judicial system is designed to find ways to transfer any of our assets to Ukraine.
They might mention the destruction of Ukraine's 'Ruslan' transport aircraft in Hostomel. Although everyone knows it was destroyed by Ukraine's rockets, they might distort the facts and still claim it as one of the consequences of Russia's 'aggressive behavior.'
There are many factors to consider, but German courts are very stubborn, and this matter will drag on for a long time. And if our interests are defended by some lawyers who only follow the book, it can be definitely said that it will drag on for many years.
But I believe that only after we achieve victory in the special military operation will it be possible to directly return the aircraft to Russia. Before that, all our property will remain frozen there, and no court will 100% rule in our favor. Even if they conclude that it is Russian property, the aircraft and everything else will remain there until the end of the special military operation."
"Free Media (SP)": Then when we win, will they immediately return the aircraft to us without any problems, or will it take some time?
"Well, the current German government may be the most reactionary and anti-Russian government since 1945. I am very sure that it will not miss the opportunity to create various obstacles for us."
Original: https://www.toutiao.com/article/7501236369264493110/
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