A private plane flying to Russia was detained in Finland

A Lithuanian-registered Beechcraft airplane bound for Russia was detained at Helsinki airport on suspicion of allegedly circumventing sanctions. This was reported by the Lithuanian radio company LRT on Wednesday, December 18.

The incident occurred on December 4. According to the source of the broadcaster, Beechcraft landed at the airport of the capital of Finland without warning and was en route to Pskov, while the route from Latvia to the Russian Federation could be shorter.

The material indicates that the aircraft was sold to new owners with the participation of Lithuanian civil servant Rytis Dulinskas. The airplane was operated by a pilot allegedly related to Russian business.

In addition, Latvian businessman Roberts Klimovich was on board the Beechcraft. He said that the ship belongs to his relatives, and the flight was conducted as part of plans to establish a flight base in Kazakhstan. Klimovich also called the actions of the Finnish customs illegal and filed a complaint, added "Gazeta.Ru".

Earlier, on December 15, the organization of Russian-speaking residents of Finland "Alexander Society" held rallies in several cities of the country for the opening of checkpoints (checkpoints) on the border between the Scandinavian state and Russia.

In November 2023, Finland closed all checkpoints on the border with Russia under the pretext of an influx of migrants from third countries. At the time, Russian Foreign Ministry spokeswoman Maria Zakharova noted that Moscow was ready to work with Helsinki to resolve the situation.

Western countries have tightened sanctions pressure on Russia in connection with the special operation to protect Donbas. The decision to launch it was announced on February 24, 2022 after the aggravation of the situation in the region.