Canada plans to give Ukraine seized Russian An-124 cargo jet

Canada intends to transfer a massive Russian cargo aircraft to Ukraine if it succeeds in ongoing legal proceedings to formally seize the plane, Foreign Minister Anita Anand announced on October 31.

Speaking at a news conference on the sidelines of the Group of Seven energy and environment ministers’ summit in Toronto, Anand said the government has filed a court action seeking the forfeiture of the Antonov An-124, which has been grounded at Toronto Pearson International Airport since February 2022. The plane is registered in Russia and owned by the Volga-Dnepr Group, a company currently under Canadian sanctions.

“The Antonov aircraft stands as a powerful symbol of accountability,” Anand said, emphasising that “those who enable Russia’s war will face consequences and Ukraine will not be left to rebuild alone.” The Antonov An-124 is one of the world’s largest cargo planes, and Canadian officials have previously cautioned that Moscow could use it to transport military supplies in support of its war against Ukraine.

Anand noted that determining the ownership structure of the aircraft had been a complicated process, and the government initiated the legal action earlier this year. She added that Canada is determined to assist Ukraine “as much as possible in its time of need.” Referring to the destruction of Ukraine’s own Antonov fleet early in the war, she said, “Russia completely obliterated some of Ukraine’s Antonov aircraft that were in Ukraine at the beginning of the war. And so this is, in a sense, replenishing the Antonov fleet.”

According to Anand, the Canadian government is exploring multiple legal and legislative avenues to transfer the aircraft to Ukraine once the court process concludes.

In her remarks, Anand also condemned Russia’s ongoing campaign of “barbarically attacking Ukrainian civilians and civilian infrastructure, kindergartens, apartment blocks, seniors’ homes and hospitals,” as well as its strikes on Ukraine’s energy facilities.

She announced that Canada would expedite the release of the remaining C$10 million ($7.1 million) from its C$70 million commitment for Ukraine’s power grid reconstruction, ensuring the funds are used to repair energy infrastructure damaged by Russian attacks.

By Tamilla Hasanova