Playing With Fire

On 06 May 2023, Aero-News Network reported Toronto, Canada’s Pearson International Airport (YYZ) was charging an An-124 cargo aircraft an exorbitant parking fee of nearly one-penny-per-second.

At the time, the An-124’s parking tab totaled north of $330,000.

Laden with personal protective equipment the aircraft had been contracted to deliver to the people of Canada, the star-crossed Antonov landed at YYZ on 27 February 2022—three days after the commencement of hostilities in Ukraine.

Before the Antonov’s crew could quick-turn the jet and get airborne, Canada closed its airspace to Russian-owned aircraft, thereby stranding the jet and setting a questionable precedent.

Notwithstanding that the stranded An-124 and its owners have no ties to Moscow, a spokeswoman for Canada’s Transportation Ministry stated unequivocally that the country’s Parliament had no immediate intentions of lifting the restrictions by which the aircraft was, and remains, constrained to sit—languishing, disused and moldering—on Canadian soil.

Comes now June 2023 and an announcement from Canadian Minister of Foreign Affairs Mélanie Joly setting forth the Canadian government has ordered the seizure of the long-suffering An-124 pursuant the nation’s Special Economic Measures Act.

The Antonov’s seizure was made possible by a new asset seizure and forfeiture provision under Canada’s autonomous sanctions regimes put forward in the country’s 2022 parliamentary budget in direct response to the February 2022 commencement of hostilities between Russia and Ukraine.

Seizure of the An-124 is intended to put pressure on Russia to stop what the Canadian Parliament called Moscow’s “illegal war against Ukraine” by straining, ostensibly, Russia’s economy and limiting resources by which Justin Trudeau alleges the Russo-Ukrainian conflict is fueled.

The An-124 stranded at YYZ is the first physical asset seized by Canada’s government under Ottawa’s asset seizure and forfeiture regime, and the second overall seized and restrained under the nation’s Special Economic Measures Act.

Trudeau’s government intends to seize the An-124 and manage it in accordance with Canadian federal legislation. Should the aircraft ultimately be forfeited to the Crown, Canada has averred it will work with the Government of Ukraine on options to “redistribute the asset to compensate victims of human rights abuses, restore international peace and security, or rebuild Ukraine.”

By authorizing the seizure of the Antonov 124, Canada alleges it has “reaffirmed that impunity is not an option for those who have profited from Russia’s illegal war in Ukraine.” Probably Ottawa has succeeded only in raising Moscow’s ire—a questionable tactic for a nation with a total Armed Forces complement of only 67,000 personnel, of which but a small fraction are combat trained and ready; no nuclear, chemical, or biological weapons or relevant systems by which to deliver such; no dedicated air defenses to keep its ground troops safe from attack; and a navy comprising, in total, one soon-to-be-retired destroyer, 12 frigates, 12 coastal defense vessels, and four submarines. By way of comparison, the United States Coast Guard, alone, currently operates 1,861 sea vessels and two-hundred aircraft.

The saber-rattling among the maple leaves occasioned a number of proclamations. The aforementioned Mélanie Joly stated: “Today, Canada is sending a clear message to the Russian regime that there will be nowhere left to hide for those who support and profit from the Kremlin’s war of aggression. Canada has been there to support Ukraine’s fight for freedom since day one and we will continue to be there through their victory to aid in their reconstruction efforts.”

Similarly pretentious, Canadian Minister of Transport Omar Alghabra crowed: “Our Government is unwavering in our commitment to Ukraine’s sovereignty and against Russia’s illegal invasion. From the beginning we have stood on the side of the Ukrainian people, and implemented a NOTAM against all Russian-owned and operated flights into Canada. Today, we are demonstrating that Russia’s actions continue to have consequences. We stand with Ukraine and will take any and all necessary actions, including this seizure, to put pressure on President Putin.”

FMI: www.canada.ca