Unbelievably brazen move by Belarusian dictator Lukashenko to fake a bomb threat, scramble a jet, & force a @Ryanair flight to land in Minsk to arrest @nexta_tv founder @pr0tez, who helped organized last years protests against Lukashenko. Protasevich could face the death penalty.
https://twitter.com/franakviacorka/status/1396429666374782981
Reaction from the Belarusian opposition leader in exile who’d have likely won last year’s presidential election if it hadn’t been rigged. She’s asking for an international response, including further sanctions against Lukasheno’s regime.
https://twitter.com/tsihanouskaya/status/1396435123592179714
Here’s the president of Lithuania reacting to today’s absolutely mad events. The Ryan Air fight was headed to his capital of Vilnius. The Irish airline had flown through EU airspace before crossing into Belarusian airspace.
https://twitter.com/gitanasnauseda/status/1396454557866242050
Here’s the end of the Ryan Air plane’s route, showing how close it was to its destination, Vilnius, when it was intercepted by a Belarusian MiG and diverted to Minsk. via @nexta_tv
The Belarusian MOD has confirmed the events in a statement (posted below), although it doesn’t mention @nexta_tv’s Protasevich was the real reason for the operation and says it “provided assistance” to the plane after the totally bogus bomb threat. 
As @christogrozev points out, Lukashenko seems to have taken a page from the playbook of Ukraine’s notoriously tricky security services. That alleged, failed op was apparently to divert a plane carrying Russian Wagner mercs from Minsk to Kyiv & arrest them for fighting in Donbas.
https://twitter.com/christogrozev/status/1396444326910066693
Photos from the Minsk airport after the flight was forced to land there show Belarusian authorities going through the motions, checking passengers and baggage for a “bomb” it claimed was on board.
https://twitter.com/tutby/status/1396457663551127553
A reminder of the the significance of @nexta_tv: the activism-focused media channel played a major role in exposing the brutality of Lukashenko’s police forces, notorious for beating and torturing activists, journalists, and protesters.
Background: buzzfeednews.com/article/christ…
Background: buzzfeednews.com/article/christ…
https://twitter.com/nexta_tv/status/1315346386586656769
EU reactions trickling in.
https://twitter.com/morawieckim/status/1396486258747183106
Ryan Air has released a statement saying Belarusian air traffic control notified the flight of a “potential security threat on board” and instructed the plane to “divert to the nearest airport, Minsk.” But flight tracking data ~clearly~ shows that Vilnius airport was closer.
At Vilnius airport, where Ryan Air flight was supposed to land, a small group of protesters have reportedly gathered, holding signs that read “I/ We are Roman Protasevich,” the Belarusian opposition activist who was pulled off the flight & arrested by Lukashenko’s regime today.
Strong condemnation of Lukashenko’s actions from the UK.
https://twitter.com/dominicraab/status/1396506923214807041
.@AdinaValean, Euro commissioner for @Transport_EU, says this is good for “everyone.” But it’s not. A Belarusian citizen, activist, & journalist was taken from the plane and arrested on bogus “terrorism” charges that could mean 15 yrs imprisonment, possibly capital punishment.
https://twitter.com/adinavalean/status/1396513415007506432
Screenshot for posterity.
Seems she realized that that statement didn’t quite convey things completely and accurately.
https://twitter.com/adinavalean/status/1396531443422085125
Germany says the EU must ensure there are “clear consequences” for Belarus after today’s events.
https://twitter.com/germanydiplo/status/1396537774359162881
Not a single mention in @RyanairPress’ statement that Belarusian authorities pulled a passenger off its plane, essentially kidnapping him. Instead, the airline continues to say the plane was diverted to the closest airport, which it wasn’t. The plane was closer to Vilnius.
https://twitter.com/RyanairPress/status/1396543331878981632
Response from the US ambassador to Belarus, who is based in Vilnius:
https://twitter.com/usambbelarus/status/1396498988178739205
Good point raised by top Russian investigative journalist: Besides Protasevich and his girlfriend, who were pulled off the plane, four Russian citizens did not re-board and fly to Vilnius. That raises the question, were they security service agents involved in this air piracy?
https://twitter.com/dobrokhotov/status/1396552064533102592
EU meeting tomorrow to discuss response to today’s air piracy on the part of Belarusian dictator Lukashenko. Here’s what could be on the table:
https://twitter.com/rikardjozwiak/status/1396560258403864578
NEW: @SecBlinken responds, says US citizens were on board the RyanAir flight: US “strongly condemns the forced diversion of a flight between two EU member states and the subsequent removal and arrest of journalist Raman Pratasevich in Minsk. We demand his immediate release.”
More US reaction. Here’s this from @ChrisMurphyCT on dictator Lukashenko’s extraordinary actions and @RyanairPress statement that left out the kidnapping of two of its passengers and forced diversion of its plane with an armed MiG.
https://twitter.com/chrismurphyct/status/1396572255027671043
Updated statement from @RyanairPress calling yesterday’s incident in Belarus “an act of aviation piracy.”
RyanAir CEO: “It appears the intent of the authorities was to remove a journalist and his travelling companion… we believe there were some KGB agents offloaded at the airport as well.” newstalk.com/news/oleary-fo…
Belarusian journalist and activist Roman Protasevich appears in chilling video circulated by pro-Lukashenko media. Very likely under duress, says he’s being treated “correctly” and “lawfully” though he shows possible signs of physical abuse, is held in Minsk Detention Center no.1
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