Russia to Submit Request to UK Over Aeroflot Plane Check in London - Ministry

The Russian Transport Ministry said Saturday that it retained the right to respond if London refused to provide reasons for searches in Russia's Aeroflot passenger plane.

"If there are no explanations the Russian side will view these actions as illegal and will retain the right to apply the same measures to UK airline companies," the ministry's press service said.

According to the ministry, it will submit a request to the UK, demanding explanations over the search of an Aeroflot plane that occurred the day before.

"This department within the Federal Authority for transport oversight will submit a request to our colleagues in the UK over the reasons of the search of an Aeroflot plane that occurred on Marc 30, 2018," the Russian Transport Ministry said Saturday.

At the same time, commenting on the situation, UK Minister of State for Security Ben Wallace said that this was a routine search conducted within the standard procedures against arms and drug trafficking.

"It is routine for Border Force to search aircraft to protect the UK from organised crime and from those who attempt to bring harmful substances like drugs or firearms into the country," Wallace said in a statement obtained by Sputnik.

On March 30, Russian Foreign Ministry spokeswoman Maria Zakharova said that UK police and customs service boarded an Aeroflot Moscow-bound plane and conducted a search without providing aims and reasons for it. The police also asked the crew, including the pilots, to leave the plane; the command pilot, however, proposed to carry out the search in his presence.