The massive Antonov An-124, known by its nickname “Ruslan,” has long been a symbol of post-Soviet aviation power. But one of these giants now finds itself at the center of a geopolitical dispute — grounded in Canada since February 2022, with no clear way out. The aircraft belongs to a Russian cargo airline and was stranded after delivering COVID-19 tests. Now, the Canadian government is seeking to hand it over to Ukraine, triggering protests from Moscow and the aircraft’s operator.
According to Neue Zürcher Zeitung (NZZ), the story began as a routine flight: a Volga-Dnepr aircraft delivered Chinese COVID-19 test kits to Toronto. But the geopolitical situation changed overnight — Russia launched its full-scale invasion of Ukraine, and Canada, in step with other Western nations, immediately closed its airspace to Russian planes. As the An-124 sat parked, it was effectively grounded — and became part of a growing international conflict.
Just a year later, in the summer of 2023, then-Prime Minister Justin Trudeau announced during a visit to Kyiv that Canada intended to transfer the aircraft to Ukraine. Russia’s foreign ministry accused Ottawa of “cynical theft,” and the dispute escalated further. In March 2025, the Attorney General of Ontario filed a court motion to officially seize the plane. Ukraine’s justice minister quickly declared on social media that the Ruslan would soon “belong to Ukraine.”
But why is this aircraft so significant?
The Antonov An-124 is not just a heavy cargo plane — it’s one of the largest and most powerful aircraft ever built. Since its maiden flight in 1982, there’s been almost nothing the An-124 hasn’t carried: submarines, tanks, helicopters, locomotives, even rocket components. Some of its loads have exceeded 100 tons. Before Russia’s 2022 invasion, only about two dozen An-124s were operational worldwide — most used by the Russian military.
A Peaceful Aircraft in the Midst of War
On the civilian side, Ukraine’s Antonov Airlines operated several An-124s. After Russia’s invasion, the company relocated from Hostomel Airport near Kyiv to Leipzig, Germany. During the early fighting around Hostomel, the world’s only Antonov An-225 “Mriya” — the even larger sister of the An-124 — was destroyed in a dramatic attack that made international headlines.
Less known is the fact that one Ukrainian An-124 was also severely damaged during the same fighting, while undergoing maintenance. If Canada succeeds in transferring the Toronto-based aircraft to Ukraine, it could serve as a replacement for that damaged airframe. However, the legal battle is far from over. The Russian airline Volga-Dnepr continues to insist that this is nothing short of aircraft hijacking.
Two Worlds, Two Ruslans
In a twist of irony, three other Volga-Dnepr An-124s were grounded at Leipzig/Halle Airport at the onset of the war — the very location where Ukraine’s Antonov Airlines is now based. While the Ukrainian Ruslans continue flying global cargo missions (when not undergoing maintenance), their Russian counterparts remain immobile just a few hundred meters away.
As NZZ reports, at least one of the Russian planes is missing its engines. A local airport official told the Leipziger Volkszeitung that the engines are “under maintenance.” But with no access to parts and under heavy sanctions, these aircraft have become stranded relics — monuments to a bygone era when Volga-Dnepr worked closely with NATO. Under the SALIS (Strategic Airlift Interim Solution) program, Russian aircraft once flew military cargo for NATO across continents.
That cooperation ended in 2018, and Western sanctions imposed after the 2022 invasion sealed the fate of the fleet. The once-active giants are now scattered across foreign runways — grounded not for technical reasons, but political ones.
So far, there’s no public indication that Canada or other nations plan to transfer the three Leipzig-based Russian aircraft to Ukraine. In any case, they are not airworthy. Their maintenance deadlines expired long ago. Even if sanctions were lifted tomorrow, the Russian An-124s would likely remain on the ground for months — perhaps years.
A Frozen Giant in a Legal Standoff
As NZZ underscores, the An-124 in Toronto may be the first to take off again — but its fate now lies in the hands of lawyers and diplomats, not pilots or mechanics. Its story is no longer one of aviation, but of geopolitics: a frozen conflict unfolding not in the skies, but in courtrooms and ministries.
In this new battleground, the mighty Ruslan has become a silent symbol — grounded by history, held hostage by war.
This article was prepared based on materials published by Neue Zürcher Zeitung. The author does not claim authorship of the original text but presents their interpretation of the content for informational purposes.
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