Seized Russian cargo plane briefly seen on the move at Toronto Pearson airport

A Russian-registered Antonov AN-124 owned by Volga-Dneper sits on the tarmac at Pearson Airport in Toronto on Monday, March 21, 2022. Canada's airspace is closed to Russian-registered aircraft and Volga-Dneper has suspended most of its operations worldwide because of sanctions. THE CANADIAN PRESS/Frank Gunn

A massive Russian cargo plane that has been parked at Toronto Pearson International Airport since the onset of the war in Ukraine was briefly seen on the move last week.

The federal government officially seized the Russian-registered Antonov AN-124 in June 2023, though the Volga-Dnepr-owned aircraft had been sitting on Pearson’s tarmac since February 2022.

This aircraft is one of the largest in the world, and federal government officials have previously raised concerns that Russia could use it to deliver military supplies to aid its war on Ukraine—prompting Canada to sanction the plane.

The plane hasn’t moved in the 43 months since, except for last week.

Video shared on Reddit last Friday shows the AN-124 slowly moving across Toronto Pearson’s tarmac. But officials tell CTV News Toronto the plane has since returned to its “designated location.”

“The aircraft was moved last week for a few hours to another location on airport grounds for routine checks led by the federal government,” Pearson airport spokesperson Sean Davidson said in a statement.

The federal government says employees will be seen around and on the aircraft up until Sept. 29 to perform “maintenance services.”

“It was for these maintenance purposes that the aircraft was moved to a different location on the airport grounds,” Public Services and Procurement Canada told CTV News Toronto in an email.

The Canadian agency would not provide further details about this “or any other on-site work,” citing security concerns, leaving the mystery of the AN-124’s future up in the air.

In February, however, Ottawa took administrative steps to take control of the cargo plane.

• READ MORE: Ottawa moves closer to taking over Russian cargo plane parked in Toronto for Ukraine

“The Attorney General of Canada sought for the issuance of a Notice of Application for forfeiture of the aircraft from the Superior Court of Ontario on March 18, 2025,” Global Afairs Canada said in a statement to CTV News Toronto, adding the next steps will be determined under “relevant legislation and court processes.”

“Under Canadian law, a person or entity with an interest or right in the seized property has the opportunity to present evidence and participate in administrative and judicial proceedings.”

The Russian embassy had previously warned Moscow will see the confiscation of the aircraft as “hijacking, theft and piracy.”

“The consequences of that decision will definitely impact our bilateral relations,” the embassy wrote.

The cargo plane first flew to the Toronto airport to deliver COVID-19 tests and was initially expected to leave the city shortly after arriving from China, via the U.S. and Russia. The flight was cancelled when Ottawa closed the country’s airspace to Russian aircraft operators.

With files from The Canadian Press