Norwegian police detain businessman, co-founder of Venture Investments & Yield Management (VIYM) Andrey Yakunin for launching drones in Svalbard, the company told RBC. Yakunin is the eldest son of the ex-head of Russian Railways Vladimir Yakunin.
The foundation reported that Yakunin Jr. used the drone for recreation during a trip to Svalbard in late August. “Andrei is passionate about nature, photography and extreme sports, as evidenced by his activity on social media. Andrey, a British citizen, is fully cooperating with the authorities to provide all the necessary information about the innocent purposes of his vacation on the boat, ”the company added.
Previous Edition The Barents Observe reported about the detention of a Russian for launching a drone on Svalbard, without naming him. The publication said that the man is 47 years old, he is the son of a “famous Russian businessman, close associate of the Vladimir Putin“(Vladimir Yakunin came under US sanctions in the spring of 2014, after annexation of Crimea to Russia).
In court, according to the newspaper, the detainee asked to be considered British citizen, and named Italy as his place of permanent residence. The man was arrested on October 17 in Hammerfest in the north of the country. Drones and electronic devices were confiscated from him. “Content [записи] from a drone is of great importance for the case,” said police prosecutor Anja Mikkelsen Indbjer.
The crewed sailing yacht that launched the drone has been sailing around Svalbard and along the coast of Norway since the summer. Last year’s edition Boat International wrotethat Andrey Yakunin owns the 27.1-meter Firebird yacht.
Andrey Yakunin founded VIYM, which specializes in managing private equity funds in hotel real estate and real sector companies, in 2006. In Russia, among the assets of the fund are the Four Seasons hotel near St. Isaac’s Cathedral in St. Petersburg and the Nikolsky Ryads complex, on the territory of which two hotels and a Hard Rock Cafe operate. The company’s portfolio also includes a project to build a cottage settlement on the shores of the Gulf of Finland and a complex of offices. The VIYM funds also own stakes in the Family Doctor clinic chain in Moscow, the Syktyvkar Tissue Group, a manufacturer of toilet paper and other paper sanitary products, and two gold deposits in the Khabarovsk Territory. In 2020, the volume of VIYM assets in Russia estimated at $300 million.
Among the foreign assets of VIYM on the company’s website are the Hard Rock Hotel in Davos and the project for the reconstruction and development of the medieval estate Antognolla in Italian Umbria.
Previously, the company also owned the Russian Hotel Chain hotel chain (in 2016 bought AFK Sistema), a chain of French Kiss premium chocolate boutiques, a stake in the Radisson Blu Park Royal Palace hotel in Vienna, and other assets.
Yakunin is the founder of the “Petersburg of Dostoevsky” Foundation and President of the St. Petersburg State University Alumni Association.
According to NRK, in recent weeks this is the seventh Russian who has been detained in Norway for using drones. The fact is that at the end of February, the country closed the sky for Russian aircraft as one of the sanctions, and this restriction also applies to drones. Svalbard and its airspace are part of Norway.
One of the Russians was detained last week at the Storskog checkpoint as he was returning to Russia. The man found two drones and several drives. The devices stored 4 TB of video and images from the trip, but some of the materials were encrypted.
The Russian also found three passports – two Russian and one Israeli. The man called this fact normal “due to visas and a lot of seals,” but he admitted dual citizenship. According to the detainee, he did not know about the ban on launching drones. His lawyer noted that the Russian is an ordinary amateur photographer.
At the Consulate General of Russia in Kirkenes reportedthat they are aware of the situation and diplomats provide the Russian with the necessary assistance.
“Russian edition of Deutsche Welle”, 10/19/2022, “Vladimir Putin’s friend’s son arrested in Norway”: The Prime Minister of Norway, Jonas Gahr Støre, in connection with the new UAV flights near Norwegian airports, called it unacceptable that “foreign intelligence agencies fly drones over Norwegian airports.” The Russians do not have the right to launch drones over Norway, he stressed.
A few hours earlier, a drone flight near Bergen Airport in western Norway resulted in a brief suspension of air traffic. Recently, in Norway, UAV flights have been repeatedly recorded in the area of Norwegian energy infrastructure facilities, including in the area of gas production platforms. — Inset K.ru
