Russia has been known to imprison Western civilians on trumped-up drug charges, then exchange them for hardcore criminals imprisoned in the US or elsewhere (the recent exchange of Brittney Griner, a basketball player arrested for having a bit of cannabis oil, for Viktor Bout, an arms dealer nicknamed the "Merchant of Death", comes to mind).
> Russia impounding/stealing the aircraft
Other countries are impounding Russians' yachts, I can see where the Russian government would see it as reasonable to impound planes in retaliation.
Russia has been known to imprison Western civilians on trumped-up drug charges, then exchange them for hardcore criminals imprisoned in the US or elsewhere (the recent exchange of Brittney Griner, a basketball player arrested for having a bit of cannabis oil, for Viktor Bout, an arms dealer nicknamed the "Merchant of Death", comes to mind).
> Russia impounding/stealing the aircraft
Other countries are impounding Russians' yachts, I can see where the Russian government would see it as reasonable to impound planes in retaliation.