Arrest of children of Putin's associates: In Norway, the son of ex-director of Russian Railways, Yakunin

Deutsche Welle reports.

Norwegian police arrested Andrey Yakunin, the son of the former head of Russian Railways (RZD) and a close friend of Russian President Vladimir Putin, for illegally launching an unmanned aerial vehicle.

Yakunin Jr. admitted that he illegally operated a drone over the Svalbard archipelago. He is currently in pre-trial detention, and his drones and other electronic devices have been confiscated.

Andrey Yakunin, a citizen of Russia and Great Britain, was detained on October 17 in the northern city of Hammerfest, but it became known only on October 19.

Andrey Yakunin's company Venture Investments & Yield Management confirmed the fact of the detention in a comment to the Russian RBC. The company said Yakunin used the drone in Norway in August while on vacation.

"Andrey is passionate about nature, photography and extreme sports, as evidenced by his activity on social media. Andrey, a British citizen, is cooperating fully with the authorities to provide all necessary information about the innocent purposes of his boating vacation," the message says.

It is worth noting that in recent days this is already the seventh arrest of Russian citizens for illegal UAV launches and illegal photography in Norway. Covert filming took place in the areas of airports and energy infrastructure facilities, in particular in the area of ​​gas production platforms.