The news comes two days after the oligarch’s son Andrey Yakunin was acquitted of flying a drone in Svalbard. The man in his 50s is also the first to be acquitted by the court for having flown over the Norwegian mainland. Another Russian drone pilot will also be released from prison on Friday, after he was first sentenced in the Oslo district court. The man in his 50s told the trial that he was on a business trip for his employer in the Russian authorities. He was on his way to Svalbard, where he was to inspect mining in the Russian settlement of Barentsburg, he said. Here is some of the footage from the acquitted man’s drone flight in Kirkenes: The image shows the Sydvaranger mine in Kirkenes. The man himself works to inspect mines for security purposes.Overview of Kirkenes The man told the court that he saw, among other things, a Russian boat in Kirkenes, and wanted to capture pictures of it with the drone.Another overview of Kirkenes. The man pleaded not guilty, and thought the information from the Norwegian authorities was not good enough. However, he acknowledged having flown the drone over Norwegian soil. The man flew the drone on 13 October in Kirkenes. He was arrested at Tromsø Airport the following day. On Saturday 15 October he was produced for remand, and has since been in custody. The trial took place in Nord-Troms and Senja district court in Tromsø at the end of November. The man explained in court that his employer, a Russian supervisory body for the environment, technology and nuclear energy, paid for the trip. – Hobby drone The man said he has photography and drone flying as hobbies. – When it dawned on me that I had done something that was forbidden for Russian citizens, I was very scared. I don’t quite remember what I did then, the man said in court about when the police approached and later arrested him. He went on to say that “not in his wildest imagination” could he have imagined that flying a hobby drone would be illegal for him in Norway. The prosecution had no evidence that the man may have been in Norway with the purpose of espionage or intelligence. Nevertheless, PST asked for prison terms for the man. – It is important to mark this with unconditional imprisonment to avoid more cases of drone flying by Russian citizens, said police attorney Kathrine Tonstad to news during the trial. Think PST may appeal The man’s defender Ola Larsen asked for acquittal for the man. He argued that if he were to be convicted, he would have to receive a lighter sentence than the other Russians who have so far been convicted in similar cases. This is because the man’s drone flight was less extensive. He had only flown the drone twice on the same date. – I think that this was as expected, seen in light of the decision in the Yakunin case, says Larsen to news on Friday. Ola Larsen represented the Russian man in Nord-Troms and Senja District Court. Photo: Knut Anders Finnset / news He has not been able to speak to the Russian man yet, but thinks he is happy about the acquittal. – My client will probably be very satisfied with the decision. The acquittal of Yakunin was immediately appealed by the prosecution. Larsen does not think it is unlikely that they will also appeal the acquittal in this case. Facts about the flight ban There has been a flight ban for Russian flights in Norwegian airspace since 28 February 2022. The ban applies to all types of flying, such as commercial scheduled flights, helicopter flights and flying with drones. The restrictions mean that it is not permitted to fly to/from or over Svalbard, Jan Mayen and the Norwegian mainland. The restricted area also includes the airspace above Norwegian maritime territory (the sea area from the baselines out to 12 nautical miles). Between the restricted areas that have been established, there is international airspace where all aircraft have the opportunity to fly, including Russian ones. The restrictions apply to all aircraft operated by Russian airlines, including where there is code-sharing with other airlines, and regardless of whether the aircraft are registered with a Russian or foreign registration mark. Code sharing, or in Norwegian route cooperation, is a cooperation agreement between two or more airlines where, for example, one airline sells tickets for the flight, and another actually operates the flight. In addition, the restrictions will apply to any aircraft owned, leased (chartered) or otherwise controlled by Russian citizens or companies. Upon application, the Ministry of Foreign Affairs can waive the flight ban, for example for humanitarian flights. Emergency landings are not covered by the ban. Source: Norwegian Civil Aviation Authority. Several drone pilots go free At the end of November, Russian Vitalij Rustanovich was sentenced to 120 days in prison for drone flying in the Oslo district court. According to the verdict, Rustanovitch had flown with a drone 47 times in Norway in the period between 27 August and 11 October. He believes the verdict is wrong, and has appealed. A law professor news has spoken to believes the case can be dealt with in the Supreme Court. In addition, a further man has been convicted in Hordaland district court. He received a 90-day suspended sentence. In the trial in Tromsø, police attorney Kathrine Tonstad said that 90 days should be a minimum for such an offence. This is to avoid more similar incidents occurring. Last week also saw what is probably the most talked about of the drone court cases. There, the Russian billionaire and oligarch’s son Andrey Yakunin was charged with flying his drone during a cruise in Svalbard. He has been acquitted, and met the press in Oslo on Thursday evening.
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Russian drone pilot acquitted in Nord-Troms and Senja District Court after flying a drone in Kirkenes – news Troms and Finnmark
