“The drone was used for recreational purposes.” The son of the former head of Russian Railways, Andrei Yakunin, has been released in Norway. He was arrested for illegal use of a drone

The Court of Appeal in Norway overturned the decision to arrest the son of the former head of Russian Railways Vladimir Yakunin Andrey.

On October 18, he was arrested on charges of illegally using a drone in Svalbard. After the start of the war in Ukraine, Norwegian lawmakers banned tourists from Russia from using drones and photographing infrastructure in the country.

Yakunin's defense filed an appeal. In court, the lawyers insisted that their client is a British citizen and therefore cannot be judged as a Russian. In addition, the defense pointed out that Norwegian law prohibits the use of aircraft, but there is no clear definition of this concept in regulatory documents.

Finally, lawyers drew the attention of the court to the fact that the ban on the use of drones by Russians on Svalbard violates the treaty on the island, signed by the UK, Norway and Russia. According to the document, citizens of these countries arriving on the island can count on equal treatment from Norway.

Earlier, Andrey Yakunin's press service stated that he "is fond of nature, photography and extreme sports", and used the drone "for recreational purposes during a vacation trip to Svalbard."

As a result, the court granted the appeal and decided to release Yakunin from arrest. Reportedly, the Norwegian police, in turn, appealed this decision.

According to Novaya Gazeta.Europe, over the past month, at least 10 people were detained in northern Norway, where the country's strategic facilities are concentrated, for using drones and photographing infrastructure facilities.

So, for example, on October 25, a court in Tromsø arrested an employee of the Arctic University, who, as suspected by the special services, lived in the country on fake Brazilian documents and conducted intelligence activities in favor of Russia.

On October 13, a Russian was detained at the land border of Norway, who was trying to take several drones to Russia.

And on October 14, four Russians were arrested by a Norwegian court for filming from drones in the north of the country near protected sites.

Source: NRK TV Company , Novaya Gazeta.Europe

To get top news faster, subscribe to our telegram and twitter .