Ukraine has arrested 13 Russian planes for flights to the occupied Crimea

Photo Ukrinform

According to the Security Service of Ukraine (SBU), 13 passenger planes belonging to the Russian ‘SmartAvia’ air company have been seized.

UA reports this with reference to the website of the State Security Service.

They note that these planes violated the order of entry and exit to the temporarily occupied territory of Ukraine – the Autonomous Republic of Crimea.

‘They acted contrary to the rules of foreign flights and illegally smuggled people across the state border of Ukraine’ – the statement goes.

The arrest was made within the frameworks of criminal proceedings initiated under the Criminal Code of Ukraine on treason, illegal transportation of persons across the state border of Ukraine, violation of the order of entry into and exit from the temporarily occupied territory of Ukraine, violation of international flights.

According to the SBU, the pre-trial investigation has established that currently 37 Russian airlines conduct regular flights to the occupied peninsula in violation of Ukrainian law. A total of 249 Russian aircraft have already been arrested, according to the service.

Earlier, the SBU did not let a plane of a sanctioned MP into the Ukrainian air space.