In Norway, a Russian was arrested for launching a drone. According to Norwegian media, this is the son of a person “close to Putin”. The police spokesman also said that the arrested person has Russian and British citizenship, he is 47 years old and lives in Italy. The father of the arrested person is on the US sanctions list, writes the Barents Observer. As the Agency Telegram channel draws attention, Andrei Yakunin, the son of the ex-head of Russian Railways and a member of the Lake cooperative, Vladimir Yakunin, fits the description.
Yakunin Jr. is indeed a holder of British and Russian citizenship and has a business in Italy, he is 47 years old. In the summer, Andrei Yakunin gave an interview in which he stated that he was against the war and had never voted for Putin. This fact also coincides: according to the Barents Observer, a Russian arrested in Norway “made headlines in the Russian media earlier this year when he declared his strong opposition to a military invasion of Ukraine. He added that he had never voted for Vladimir Putin."
A Russian was arrested for launching a drone on Svalbard in Hammerfest, where a liquefied natural gas processing plant is located. The drone was launched from a sailing yacht under the British flag Firebird. Norwegian law prohibits Russians from flying drones in Norwegian airspace. According to the Barents Observer, the arrestee's lawyer insists that his citizenship should be considered British, which is why he flew the drone. “He admitted that he flew the drone, but had no reason to believe that it was illegal. He is a British citizen,” the lawyer said.
This is the fourth time in a week that drones have been illegally launched or photographed at secret sites in northern Norway. Earlier, six Russians had already been arrested. Drone launches have closed two Norwegian airports.
Andrey Yakunin is one of the founders of the British investment company Venture Investments & Yield Management. His company has been investing in hotels in Europe and Russia. Andrey Yakunin estimates his investments in Italy, where he is currently located, at €150 million, but he says that he is far from the oligarchs from the Forbes list.
Earlier, The Insider wrote about how Vladimir Yakunin, having headed Russian Railways, became the holder of the "common fund" of the state-owned company, which was collected through kickbacks for state contracts and taken offshore through the "Moldovan laundry". The total damage to the Russian budget from this cut amounted to more than $20 billion.