The Honourable Mélanie Joly, Minister of Foreign Affairs, made the announcement today that, in accordance with the Special Economic Measures Act, the Government of Canada had ordered the seizure of a cargo aircraft registered in Russia that is currently grounded at Toronto Pearson Airport.
A subsidiary of Volga-Dnepr Airlines LLC and Volga-Dnepr Group, two organizations against which Canada recently imposed sanctions for their complicity in President Putin’s war of choice, is thought to own the targeted Russian aircraft, an Antonov 124. The capture of the resource was made conceivable by the new resource seizure and relinquishment specialists under Canada’s independent authorizations systems set forward in Financial plan 2022 and is in direct reaction to Russia’s full-scale attack of Ukraine that started on February 24, 2022.
The Government of Canada’s first action under the asset seizure and forfeiture regime is to seize this important asset in order to put additional pressure on Russia to stop its illegal war against Ukraine by straining its economy and limiting the resources that fuel the war. This is the main actual resource held onto by the Public authority of Canada under this system, and second generally seized and limited under the Exceptional Monetary Measures Act.
The asset will be seized by the Canadian government and managed in accordance with federal law. Canada and the Ukrainian government will collaborate on options to redistribute the asset in order to compensate victims of human rights violations, restore international peace and security, or rebuild Ukraine in the event that it is ultimately forfeited to the Crown.
By authorizing the Antonov 124’s seizure, Canada demonstrates once more that those who have benefited from Russia’s illegal war in Ukraine are not entitled to impunity.
