DISINFO: Canada illegally stole a Russian cargo plane to give it to Ukraine
SUMMARY
Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau's decision to confiscate the Russian An-124 cargo plane and transfer it to Ukraine is illegal and a common theft. The Trudeau regime has shown that the rule of law does not exist in Canada.
RESPONSE
Following Russia's illegal full-scale invasion of Ukraine, the EU and many of its allies and international partners, including Canada, enacted strict international sanctions inter alia on the aviation sector of Russia, prohibiting Russian-registered aircraft from accessing European, US, Canadian and other countries' airspace.
The Russian An-124 cargo plane was seized at Toronto Airport already on 27 February 2022, as it belongs to two Russian entities, Volga-Dnepr Airlines LLC and Volga-Dnepr Group, sanctioned under Canada's Special Economic Measures Act. Therefore, any conjecture that the seizure of the An-124 Cargo plane is illegal or theft is plainly false, as this legal action is in full compliance with Canadian and international law.
Depicting international sanctions against Russia as illegal or illegitimate is a well-known pro-Kremlin disinformation tropes. Sanctions are legitimate restrictions imposed in accordance with international and European law as a response to violations of international legalities, such as Russia’s actions undermining or threatening the territorial integrity, sovereignty and independence of Ukraine. The EU established the sanctions regime under its laws, specifically Council Regulation (EU) No 833/2014, "concerning restrictive measures in view of Russia's actions destabilising the situation in Ukraine." International actors have the right to impose them under international law as well under certain conditions.
Read here about the EU sanctions with explainations.
See other similar examples of disinformation: US is destroying industry in Europe by forcing Brussels to sanction Russia; Western sanctions on Russian energy jeopardize the global economy; Sanctions that were supposed to destroy Russia may disintegrate the EU.