Why is Canada seizing a Russian cargo plane? Here’s what to know

The long-running saga of a large Russian plane grounded in Canada since the start of the Ukraine war entered a new phase over the weekend.

After more than 15 months, the Canadian government ordered the seizure on Saturday of the Russian-registered cargo aircraft as a direct response to Moscow’s invasion of its neighbour that began in February 2022.

This is the first physical asset of Russia that will be captured by Ottawa under the asset forfeit law and the second under Canada’s…