A Russian-registered Antonov AN-124 owned by Volga-Dneper sits on the tarmac at Pearson Airport in Toronto on March 21.Frank Gunn/The Canadian Press
Russia’s Foreign Ministry said on Thursday that it had summoned a Canadian diplomat in Moscow in protest over the confiscation of an Antonov plane in Toronto, and warned that Russian-Canadian relations were on the “verge of being severed.”
Canada on Saturday ordered the seizure of a Russian-registered Antonov-124 cargo plane at Toronto’s airport, its first such asset seizure aimed at putting pressure on Moscow over the Ukraine invasion.
Russia told Brian Ebel, the deputy head of Canada’s embassy in Moscow, that it viewed the plane seizure as “cynical theft,” according to a statement from the foreign ministry.
Canada’s “Russophobic policy will entail the most serious repercussions for Russian-Canadian relations, which are on the verge of being severed through the fault of the Trudeau administration,” the Russian ministry’s statement said.
A spokesperson for the Canadian foreign ministry acknowledged Moscow’s concerns, and reiterated Ottawa’s “unwavering” support for Ukrainians.
“We have been explicitly clear. Those who have enabled, supported and profited from Russia’s war in Ukraine will be held accountable,” the spokesperson said in an emailed statement.
Canada announced the aircraft seizure while Prime Minister Justin Trudeau was in Kyiv, where he announced $500 million in new military aid for Ukraine.
NATO member Canada, which has one of the world’s largest Ukrainian diasporas, is among the most vocal backers of Ukraine and has imposed sanctions on hundreds of Russian officials and companies as well as wide-scale trade bans.