Minsk: A startling event was reported where a passenger plane was hijacked to arrest a leader protesting against Belarusian President Alexander Lukashenko. On Sunday, a plane bound for Lithuania from the Greek capital Athens was forcibly landed in Minsk, the capital of Belarus. Roman Protasevich, a journalist aboard the plane, was arrested along with his colleague. The incident has drawn strong reactions from the United States and the European Union, and they have indicated taking aggressive action against Belarus. Russia, however, has supported the move.  

On Sunday morning, a plane of Ireland’s Ryanair was flying from Greece to Lithuania. A few minutes before the aircraft entered Lithuanian airspace from Belarus, Belarusian authorities issued an alert that said the plane was in danger. The aircraft was asked to land at the nearest airport in Minsk during the alert. However, the passengers on the plane and the media have claimed the plane was threatened with being blown up by fighter jets if it did not land at the Minsk airport.  

Belarussian President Lukashenko had issued the order to divert the plane to the Belarusian capital and send a MiG-29 fighter jet to intercept it. Protests have been ongoing against President Lukashenko in Belarus since August. Plans were made to hijack the plane and capture Roman Protasevich, a journalist who played a vital role in the protests. Along with Protasevich, his colleague Sophia Sapega was also detained by Belarusian authorities. The plane was allowed to leave Minsk airport for Lithuania on Sunday evening, sources said.  

Ryanair, as well as the UK, have criticised the incident as a direct state-sponsored hijacking. The United States has said the incident was highly shocking and demanded an investigation. Furthermore, the European Union (EU) has said that Belarus’s move was an act of abduction and warned of taking stern action. NATO also hinted at taking action against Belarus. Lithuania is Belarus’s neighbour and has instructed its citizens to leave the country.  

Russia, however, strongly supported Belarus, despite strong criticism from the United States and Europe. ‘The Belarusian Foreign Ministry has clarified that all of its agencies will maintain transparency and cooperate in the matter. This stance is appropriate. I feel the international community needs to consider the situation and take stock of it calmly,’ said Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov.   

The plane was carrying four Russian passengers, who went missing after the landing at Minsk airport. Analysts claim that the passengers may have been Russian intelligence agents and that Belarus may have carried out the plot with Russia’s help. The media is debating that the government of a country like Belarus would not have otherwise taken such a big decision based on its strength. 

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