Russian Antonov Grounded in Canada. "If We Win the Case, We Will Hand It Over to Ukraine"

Canada has filed a lawsuit to seize a Russian-registered Antonov An-124 cargo plane, which has been grounded in Toronto since 2022. If Canada wins the case, it will be transferred to Ukraine, Foreign Minister Anita Anand announced. The An-124 is one of the largest cargo planes in the world.

"The Antonov plane is a symbol of responsibility. Those who enable Russia to wage war will face consequences, and Ukraine will not be left alone," Anand said at a press conference on Friday, as quoted by Bloomberg.

"Russia destroyed some of the Ukrainian Antonov planes that were in Ukraine at the beginning of the war. In a sense, this is a supplement to the Antonov fleet," she added.

Canada's top diplomat condemned Russia's strategy of carrying out "barbaric attacks on Ukrainian civilians and civilian infrastructure, including preschools, apartment buildings, senior centers, and hospitals," as well as attacks on Ukrainian energy infrastructure. She announced that Canada would expedite the final tranche of $10 million in aid to the Ukraine Energy Support Fund. This aid will be used to repair facilities damaged by Russian attacks. Canadian support for this purpose totals $70 million.

The plane belongs to Russian cargo airline Volga-Dnepr Airlines, which Canada has imposed sanctions on. Canadian officials previously warned that Russia could use the plane to deliver supplies to its troops in the war against Ukraine. (PAP)

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