The Supreme Court of Norway has canceled the acquittal of Andrei Yakunin, the son of one of Russian President Vladimir Putin's longtime confidants, who was found not guilty in December of violating a Norwegian law that bars Russian citizens from flying drones in the country.
The Supreme Court on June 30 ruled that the flight ban for Russian nationals includes drone flights and sent the case back to the district court in Tromso.
Yakunin was arrested in October in Norway's Arctic region after he used two drones while sailing the Archipelago of Svalbard and along the coast of Norway.
Norwegian laws prohibit aircraft operated by Russian citizens and companies on Norwegian territory.
On December 7, the Nord-Tromso and Senja District Court ruled that flying a hobby drone is not covered by the ban and acquitted the 48-year-old businessman, who has Russian and British citizenship.
Prosecutors sought four months in prison for Yakunin and appealed the court's decision.
After the Supreme Court pronounced its decision on June 30, Yakunin expressed hope that a new hearing will again acquit him from the charges.
"I am confident that the Norwegian judicial system will eventually agree with the basic message I keep on repeating: It is no offense for a Russian-British (or any other) man/woman to fly a hobby drone in Svalbard," Yakunin said.
Andrei Yakunin's father, Vladimir Yakunin, was a longtime member of Putin's inner circle. He has been under U.S. sanctions since Russia illegally annexed Ukraine's Crimea in 2014.
The 74-year-old businessman led Russian Railways for 10 years before he retired in 2015. British and Russia media reports said at the time that Vladimir Yakunin was dismissed due to his son's decision to apply for British citizenship.
In April, Andrei Yakunin said in an interview with Italy's La7 television channel that he is against Russia's ongoing unprovoked invasion of Ukraine.