Andrey Yakunin’s drone is not under suspicion.
An appeals court in Norway upheld the not guilty verdict from the lower court, which found no wrongdoing in the launch. Andrey Yakunin drones in the Svalbard archipelago. So the son of the former head of Russian Railways is once again innocent.
In December, the court’s decision in the city of Tromsø fully acquitted Andrey Yakunin of charges of violating sanctions. The Norwegian prosecutor’s office challenged the decision, but on February 2, the Halogaland court's unanimous decision upheld the previous verdict. The prosecutor’s office declined to pursue further action.
Andrey Yakunin, the eldest son of the former leader of Russian Railways Vladimir Yakunin was detained on October 17 with acquaintances on suspicion of violating sanctions – he launched drones in the Svalbard archipelagowhich is a territory of Norway. The country's legislation prohibits Russians from flying aircraft. The defense argued that Yakunin used a basic drone – essentially a camera and not an aircraft. Additionally, for safety in extreme sports tourism (as Yakunin is an enthusiast). Furthermore, Yakunin’s lawyers referenced his British citizenship and Svalbard's special legal status.
After winning the court case, Yakunin’s lawyer told Fontanka: “This is a precedent court decision, which helped clarify certain provisions of Norwegian sanctions legislation. It also demonstrated common sense, which is rare in modern jurisprudence, let alone the modern world. Today, he is also a senior partner at the Pen & Paper Bar Association. Anton Imenov chose not to comment.
On October 22, Norwegian police apprehended two Russians suspected of photographing military installations, charging them with illegal photography. The detainees, a man and a woman in their 30s, were caught in the village of Björkvik, near a military base and a military training camp, Elvegardsmoen, as reported by NRK.
Earlier, the Norwegian Police released four Russians who were suspected of photographing strategic locations. No photographs of the objects were found on the suspects who were detained on October 17. Norwegian law enforcement believes that the arrested Russians were simply tourists. Nonetheless, the case remains open, and the Norwegian Security Service (PST) will continue investigating.
Before that, two more Russians with drones were arrested. On October 19, Andrey, the son of the ex-head of Russian Railways, Vladimir Yakunin, was detained. Yakunin’s defense insisted that, due to British citizenship, sanctions could not apply to him, and the drone with which he was detained does not belong to the category of aircraft, the use of which is prohibited to Russians in Norway. At the end of October, he was released from custody.
