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Putin Ally’s Son Arrested in Norway for Flying Drone

The 47-year-old man’s lawyer said they will appeal the court order, arguing the man is a British citizen who had no reason to believe his actions were illegal.

A Norwegian judge ordered the son of a Vladimir Putin ally to be held in custody for two weeks, after police concerns of him fleeing amidst an investigation. The 47-year-old man was arrested for flying a drone in Norwegian territory, and police seized his drones and electronics to analyze them, they said. “The man has Russian and British citizenship and is charged with violating the Sanction Act §4 for flying a drone in Norwegian territory at Svalbard,” prosecutor Anja Mikkelsen Indbjør told the Barents Observer. “The content [recordings] from the drone is of great importance for the case.” The dual-Russian and British citizen is the son of a Russian businessman who reportedly has close ties to Putin and is sanctioned by the U.S. State Department. The son has reportedly spoken out against Putin’s war in Ukraine. His lawyer argued in court he should be considered a British citizen in the case and that he currently lives in Italy, saying they’ll appeal the court order. “He admitted flying a drone, but had no reason to believe this was illegal,” lawyer Jens Bernhard Herstad said.