Germany's flagship carrier Lufthansa announced on Friday that it had located the Oscar statuette belonging to Russian director Pavel Talankin, which went missing while he flew with the airline from New York to Frankfurt on Thursday.

Talankin won the Best Documentary Feature award for 'Mr. Nobody Against Putin.' The U.S. Transportation Security Administration (TSA) prevented him from carrying the statuette in the cabin, claiming it could be used as a weapon, forcing him to check it in as hold luggage.

Upon arrival in Frankfurt, the box containing the Oscar was not found. Lufthansa initially stated it had launched an internal search 'with the utmost care and urgency.' Hours later, the airline confirmed the statuette was in its care in Frankfurt and would be returned to Talankin 'as quickly as possible.'

Lufthansa expressed 'regret' over the incident and said an 'internal review of how this occurred is currently still ongoing.' The airline apologized for the inconvenience caused.

Speaking to Deadline, Talankin called it 'completely baffling how they consider an Oscar a weapon.' He noted he had previously carried the trophy in the cabin on other airlines without any issues.

Talankin's documentary is based on footage he gathered at a school in Russia's Chelyabinsk region, showing students exposed to pro-war messaging. He fled Russia in 2024.

Source: www.dw.com