BRACE FOR TURBULENCE — One of Canada’s most recognizable Russian sanctions targets over the war in Ukraine is turning to the courts seeking to shake its sanctions. Ottawa confiscated Volga-Dnepr’s massive cargo plane in June citing fears it could be leveraged by Russia in its war against Ukraine. The aircraft has been sitting on the tarmac at Toronto’s Pearson Airport since February 2022. Canada sanctioned the airline’s corporate group and founder in April this year. Federal court documents reveal they are now challenging that move. — State of play: Canada has tried to pressure VLADIMIR PUTIN’s regime with a massive sanctions campaign that has targeted thousands of companies, oligarchs, media and other individuals. — What’s new: One by one, an increasingly lengthy list of businesses, uber-wealthy individuals and others are turning to the courts in an effort to get off the list — something Ottawa Playbook has been tracking. The group of Volga-Dnepr subsidiaries, including Atran, AirBridgeCargo Airlines, Volga-Dnepr Airlines, are among the latest. — Familiar pattern: The recent delisting court cases Playbook has reviewed mostly follow the same trend. Canada sanctions a batch of people and entities under one boilerplate description for the group, then eventually some of them file complaints to the foreign affairs minister claiming they were listed in error and that GAC won’t provide evidence proving they should be sanctioned. The minister legally has 90 days to respond to individuals appealing their sanctions, but the applicants usually wind up ghosted, so they turn to the courts, often many months later, to attempt to force their delisting. — Worked for a few: Canada quietly delisted five people in recent weeks after they each individually took Joly to court. When Ottawa does delist individuals, Global Affairs releases few if any details. — Mega mover: Volga-Dnepr is a major mover of superheavy and oversized cargo, and has been fighting Canada elsewhere in court for the release of its Antonov-124 cargo plane collecting rust and dust at Pearson. “The An-124 has remained grounded in Canada at the Toronto Pearson International Airport since February 27, 2022, suffering from exposure to the elements and receiving no maintenance whatsoever,” the court documents said. The U.K. government, which also sanctioned the airline, describes it as a “Russian transport company with significant air operations that is contracted by the Russian Government to create air bridges that carry critical goods.” The airline’s filing says it “prides itself on its humanitarian efforts” worldwide, such as through flights to cities in southeastern Turkey affected by the earthquake on Feb. 6 this year that delivered “mobile hospitals, blankets, tents, essential goods” and “specialized search and rescue equipment.” “Not only is the [airline] suffering substantial financial harm, but with the An-124 remaining grounded in Canada, it is unable to provide humanitarian assistance or partake in humanitarian missions,” the court documents said. — Add to the list: On top of those three companies, the founder and former long-time head of Volga-Dnepr, ALEKSEY ISAYKIN (alternatively written as Alexey Isaikin), is also taking Joly to court. The Daily Telegraph describes him as a “former Soviet military colonel and one-time ally of Vladimir Putin” with ties to him “stretching back nearly two decades.” The aviation magnate is a Russian and Cypriot national living in Moscow. In his filing against the Canadian government, he is described as a “successful economist and entrepreneur” who is strengthening the “prestige of the civil aviation industry,” and a “shareholder in various corporate entities that operate global air freight businesses.” When Global Affairs Canada announced the sanctions, it said it believes the group is “complicit in Putin’s war of choice, including several security targets linked to the Wagner Group and the aviation sector.” The Wagner Group is a Russian paramilitary mercenary force that has been fighting in Ukraine using brutal tactics. Isaykin’s filing denies the allegations he is involved in the war and his court filing said he signed a solemn affirmation that states he has “not provided any aviation service to the Wagner Group or otherwise in relation to the military operations in Ukraine.” His sanctions challenge is unlikely to be the last. | 
