Canada to seize sanctioned An-124 stuck in Toronto since 2022 and give to Ukraine

Canada has filed court proceedings to seize a Russian-registered Antonov An-124 cargo aircraft that has been grounded at Toronto Pearson International Airport since February 2022, with plans to transfer it to Ukraine if the forfeiture is successful.

Foreign Minister Anita Anand announced the government's court action on 31 October during the Group of Seven energy and environment ministers' summit in Toronto. The aircraft is owned by the Volga-Dnepr Group, a company Canada has placed under sanctions.

"The Antonov aircraft stands as a powerful symbol of accountability," Anand said at a news conference. "Those who enable Russia's war will face consequences and Ukraine will not be left to rebuild alone."

The An-124 ranks among the world's largest cargo aircraft. Canadian officials have previously indicated Russia could use the plane to transport military supplies in support of its war against Ukraine.

According to Anand, determining the plane's ownership structure proved complex. The government launched its court action earlier this year, and officials are now exploring multiple pathways to transfer the aircraft to Ukraine, including both judicial and legislative processes.

"I will say that 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," Anand said.

Bloomberg reports that the Attorney General of Canada initiated the forfeiture proceedings in May 2025 for the An-124, known as "Ruslan," which belongs to the Russian airline Volga-Dnepr.

During her opening remarks at the summit, Anand condemned Russia's strategy of "barbarically attacking Ukrainian civilians and civilian infrastructure, kindergartens, apartment blocks, seniors' homes and hospitals," as well as its strikes on Ukraine's energy infrastructure.

The Canadian government also announced it will accelerate the disbursement of the remaining C$10 million ($7.1 million) from a C$70 million commitment for Ukraine's power grid reconstruction, allowing those funds to repair facilities damaged by Russian attacks.