Finland intercepts Lithuanian plane suspected of sanctions evasion en route to Russia

Finnish authorities seized a Lithuanian-registered private plane at Helsinki Airport on December 4 over suspicions of sanctions evasion. The Beechcraft aircraft was en route to Pskov, Russia, via Latvia and landed in Helsinki to refuel.

The plane’s indirect route and ownership raised red flags. One of the pilots, Robertas Petkus, had been linked to a prior sanctions evasion scheme, as revealed by Lithuania’s LRT Investigation Team.

Stricter regulations for non-commercial flights introduced in Lithuania last year have denied dozens of planes access to Lithuanian airports, highlighting ongoing efforts to curb sanctions violations.

Source: Public broadcasting of Latvia