The Oscar statuette of director Pavel Talankin has been found, Lufthansa announces after the episode in New York: “We are in direct contact”

German airline Lufthansa has announced that the Oscar statuette of the Russian-born director Pavel Talankin has been found and is working to return it “as quickly as possible” to the artist's possession, reports Reuters.

Talankin, who in March 2026 was awarded an Oscar for his documentary “Mr Nobody Against Putin”, had the statuette in his hand luggage, but the security staff at the New York airport, where he was about to board a flight to Germany, forced him to hand it in as checked baggage.

Lufthansa representatives helped the director pack the trophy in a box, as he had no checked baggage.

David Borenstein, co-director of the documentary, said that security personnel told Talankin that the statuette, which weighs about 3.8 kilograms, was a potential security threat.

“We can confirm that the Oscar statuette has been located and is safely in our care in Frankfurt. We are in direct contact with the guest to arrange his personal return as quickly as possible,” a Lufthansa spokesman said.

“The Oscar could be used as a weapon”

“We sincerely regret the inconvenience caused and have apologized to the owner. The careful and safe management of our guests' belongings is of the utmost importance to us. An internal review of the circumstances is underway,” the German company representative added.

Borenstein had recounted on Instagram that a US Transportation Security Administration (TSA) agent “stopped Talankin and told him that the Oscar could be used as a weapon.”

“Pavel didn't have a check-in bag, so TSA put Oscar in a box,” Borenstein said.

On Thursday, after arriving in Germany, Talankin told the online magazine Deadline.com that he did not understand how the Oscar statuette could be considered a potential weapon.

The director said that on previous flights with various airlines, he had flown with the statuette “in the cabin and there was never any kind of problem”.

PHOTO: Valeriya Zankovych / Dreamstime.com