When the son of one of Vladimir Putin’s former close allies sought to travel through the Northwest Passage to Alaska, the Canada Border Services Agency instead
demanded he sail 1,000 nautical miles off course in an attempt to get permission for the voyage.

The 26-metre yacht Firebird is owned by Andrey Yakunin, the son of Vladimir Yakunin, who was a loyal Kremlin ally and president of the Russian Railways until his son applied for British citizenship a decade ago. The younger Yakunin, who now lives in Italy, attempted to make his journey at a time when tensions have risen between Canada and Russia over the invasion of Ukraine and tit-for-tat sanctions put in place by both countries.