"Foreign Affairs Minister Anita Anand says pursuing forfeiture of a seized Russian cargo plane that has been parked for years at Toronto Pearson International Airport has forced the government to disentangle the aircraft's complex ownership structure. This is a legal process, but it's also in the context of: How else can we help Ukraine in its time of need?' Anand said at a Friday news conference. The owners of the Antonov aircraft used complex corporate structures that have required significant time to disentangle."
"The plane has been parked in Toronto since February 2022, after it had been contracted by the Canadian government to fly in a shipment of COVID-19 rapid test kits from China. While it sat on the tarmac to unload the shipment, Canada's Transport Ministry closed the country's airspace to all Russian aircraft in response to that country's full-scale invasion of Ukraine."
"We have held legal possession of the plane since the beginning of the illegal invasion to ensure it could not be used against Ukraine, Anand said Friday. Russians call seizure 'shameless theft' Russia's Foreign Ministry has called the act a cynical and shameless theft, and in August 2023, Volga-Dnepr served notice of its intent to initiate a formal dispute with the Canadian government over the plane."
The government is pursuing forfeiture of a seized Antonov An-124 cargo plane parked at Toronto Pearson International Airport and has worked to disentangle the aircraft's complex ownership structure. The aircraft was contracted in February 2022 to transport COVID-19 rapid test kits from China and remained on the tarmac when Canada closed its airspace to Russian aircraft after Russia's full-scale invasion of Ukraine. The plane, manufactured by Antonov and operated by Volga-Dnepr, has been banned from departing Canada and held in legal possession to ensure it could not be used against Ukraine. Russia's Foreign Ministry called the seizure a "shameless theft," and Volga-Dnepr has indicated intent to contest the action while the government pursues legal forfeiture.
Read at www.cbc.ca
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