Pasha Talankin, the Russian filmmaker and co-director of the Academy Award-winning documentary “Mr. Nobody Against Putin,” experienced a distressing situation when his Oscar statuette went missing during his flight from New York's JFK Airport to Frankfurt, Germany. After being flagged by security as a potential weapon, the statuette, which weighs approximately 3.8 kg, was forced to be checked in as cargo. Talankin, who had previously traveled with the Oscar without issue, found the decision baffling. Lufthansa later confirmed that the statuette had been located and was safely in their care in Frankfurt, stating they were in contact with Talankin to arrange a quick return. The airline also announced an internal review regarding the incident. Talankin has been living in exile after opposing the Kremlin's nationalistic educational mandates following Russia's invasion of Ukraine.