Canada Giving Russian An-124 To Ukraine

Canada will give Ukraine a Russian cargo jet it effectively seized in the early days of the Russian invasion of Ukraine. Ukrainian Prime Minister Denys Shmyhal announced the Volga-Dnepr An-124 will be transferred to Ukraine. The An-124 is one of the largest cargo aircraft in service and its transfer was part of a new sanctions package announced by Canada last week. Ukraine has not said what it plans to do with the aircraft, which is worth tens of millions of dollars.

The aircraft landed in Toronto on a flight from Anchorage on Feb. 24, 2022, the day of the invasion. It was carrying COVID-related supplies. Canada closed its airspace to all Russian-owned aircraft that day so the An-124 has languished on the ramp at Pearson International Airport racking up hundreds of thousands of dollars in parking fees.