June 11 () –
The Minister of Foreign Affairs of Canada, Mélanie Joly, announced this Saturday that the Government of Canada ordered the seizure of a Russian cargo plane that was at Toronto Pearson Airport.
“Today, Canada is sending a clear message to the Russian regime that there will be nowhere left to hide for those who support and profit from the Kremlin’s war of aggression. Canada has been there to support Ukraine’s fight for freedom since the first day and we will continue to be there throughout their victory to help with the rebuilding efforts,” Joly said in a government statement.
The seizure is supported by sanctions adopted during the meeting of the G7 countries in Japan, which are aimed at isolating Russia from the international financial system.
The seized plane is an Anotnov 124, and the alleged owner is a subsidiary of the sanctioned Volga-Dnepr Airlines LLC and Volga-Dnepr Group due to “its complicity in the war.”
This seizure is the second time that Canada has acted on its home turf against Russian properties after the adoption of the first sanctions. In December 2022, the Canadian authorities blocked some 26 million dollars (about 24 million euros) belonging to Granite Capital Holdings Ltd, whose alleged owner is the Russian magnate Roman Abramovich, also sanctioned.
