In Lithuania, a Russian tried to sell a plane to Russia, bypassing EU sanctions
The Klaipeda District Prosecutor’s Office has submitted to the court a criminal case in which a 53-year-old citizen of the Russian Federation is accused of violating international sanctions imposed by the Council of the European Union.
According to the prosecutor’s office, in 2023, a Russian purchased a CESSNA aircraft from a company operating in Denmark through his company registered in Turkey. The plane took off from Denmark, landed in Sweden, and from there flew to Palanga Airport in Lithuania. From this airport, the Russian submitted a flight plan to Russia, but did not receive a flight permit.
In addition to this case, the Russian is supposed to be the founder and head of the Kazakh company in 2023. In January, he purchased a R-44 helicopter and in April 2023, as a pilot himself, together with a citizen of Kazakhstan, flew this helicopter from Latvia to Paluknis airfield in Lithuania, and then landed at Kaunas Airport. The target of the flight was the Russian Federation, but permission to continue the flight was also not received.
These actions were carried out in violation of European Union sanctions prohibiting flights of any aircraft owned or controlled by Russian persons on the territory of the EU.
The Criminal Code of Lithuania provides for fines, arrests, or imprisonments of up to five years for such actions. The case has been referred to the court.
