The confiscation of the Russian plane “Ruslan” was one of my first goals in the first month of the work of the Ministry of Justice. And so, the result of our team’s work: Canada began the process of confiscation of the An-124 “Ruslan” transport aircraft, which belongs to the Russian Volga-Dnieper airline, and was already under Canadian custody.
To understand the scale - an-124 “Ruslan” in length is three quarters of the football field (about 69 meters), with wingspan even more. Its height is about a 7-storey building (21 meters). The confiscation proceedings are under Canadian Special Economic Measures Act and is currently up to the confiscation decision by the Ontario High Court.
This is another important step on the way to justice and restoration of peace in Ukraine. The filing of the case about the confiscation of the plane to court is a joint result of the meticulous work of the employees of the Ministry of Justice, the Foreign Ministry in close cooperation with our partners. And this is a great example of how international law works in practice.
In August 2023 VAKS, having established the grounds for the application of the sanction, complied with the Ministry’s lawsuit on the application of a sanction in the form of a collection of assets undersanctioned Volga-Dnepr. The Ministry of Justice was transferred to the decision of VAKS to Canadian partners. And now the Attorney General of Canada has appealed to the Ontario High Court with concerns about the confiscation of the Russian plane.
Convinced, all actions lead to one: “Ruslan” will soon have a new home - in Ukraine, where it will serve for the good of our state.
Grateful to Canada for its unwavering support and decisive actions. Justice is not just words, but concrete steps we see today. And this is just the beginning.
Beeg plane had been sitting at YYZ for a while. Glad to see it will find a loving home in Ukraine.