A fresh breeze sweeps the 88-foot-long sailboat “Firebird” out from the harbor in Tromsø. Andrey Yakunin is back in town for another trial, but first he does what he loves most. – When are you at your happiest? – This. The British-Russian businessman throws his arms out to the sea and smiles widely. It was the same sailboat he sailed with when he was arrested for illegal drone flight in Svalbard, and violation of the sanctions regulations against Russia. Andrey Yakunin spent the weekend at sea, before he will accompany the court this week. Photo: Hanne Wilhelms / news Yakunin was acquitted by a unanimous district court in December. On Wednesday, he appears in the Court of Appeal to follow the appeal case. The businessman has decided to follow every single minute, even if he doesn’t have to. It is important for him to be present to make sure that he does not miss anything important. – I hope we manage to correct this mistake, and that we can put the whole situation behind us, says Yakunin. The court believed that the prosecution had too broad an interpretation of the sanctions regulations. They also emphasize that the EU’s sanctions against Russian aviation, on which the Norwegian rules are based, were not intended to affect small hobby drones. The prosecution disagrees with the judgment in the district court and appealed it to the Court of Appeal. State attorney Geir Evanger has previously told VG that they disagreed with the district court’s acquittal on several points. Among other things, against aircraft, registration and significance for EU law. The prosecutor in the case, Jan Glent, does not want to be interviewed before the trial starts in Tromsø. There is a lot to be done while sailing and the British-Russian businessman is not afraid to take on a roof. Photo: Hanne Wilhelms / news Think it could have been avoided The British-Russian businessman spent 51 days in custody, from 17 October to 7 December 2022. He experienced that the employees in the prison acted professionally, and helped him understand how the legal system in Norway works. At the same time, Yakunin believes that the case should not have gone to court at all: – The responsible authorities should have ensured that the regulations were clear and could not be misunderstood. Then this would not have happened. He still has no plans to end his sailing trips along the Norwegian coast. Now the crew is preparing to sail south to Sunnmøre, before returning to Lyngen. – You can be in Lyngen several times and still not have gone skiing everywhere, says the businessman. When asked what fascinates him so much about Norway and Svalbard, Yakunin turns from where he is sitting at the back of the boat. He refers to the Norwegian nature. Andrey Yakunin is British-Russian, but identifies mostly as British. Photo: Hanne Wilhelms / news Can be problematic There will not be full evidence presented in court this week, because there is no disagreement about what actually happened when Andrey Yakunin flew a drone in Svalbard. It is the legal aspects that must be explained in court this time. The question is whether the drone was of such a size that the flight was covered by a drone ban for Russian citizens. It must also be looked at whether the Norwegian drone ban is legal according to the EU’s sanctions regulations. Most likely, it will also be discussed whether Yakunin should be considered British or Russian in the case. Yakunin explains that a sentence for breaching sanctions legislation will be problematic for him as a businessman. The sailboat “Firebird” will travel south to Sunnmøre soon, before it and the crew return to Lyngen. Photo: Hanne Wilhelms / news
ttn-69
– I hope we can correct this error – news Troms and Finnmark
