Putin Signs Law to Seize Foreign Aircraft Amid Crippling Sanctions

Russian President Vladimir Putin chairs a meeting with members of the Russian government in Moscow, on March 10, 2022. Mikhail Klimentyev/Sputnik/AFP via Getty Images

As sanctions cripple Russia’s aviation industry, President Vladimir Putin signed a law on Monday allowing foreign-owned aircraft to be re-registered as Russian for domestic use, according to state-run news agency TASS.

Russian airlines would have the ability to seize and operate aircraft leased by companies that are no longer operating in the country over sanctions imposed due to the Ukraine invasion, TASS reported.