In what can only be described as brazen, the government of Belarus executed a covert operation taking place across multiple countries, an international airline and apparently both Russian and Belarus operatives. The afternoon of May 23, RyanAir flight FR4978 was approximately 10 minutes from the end of its flight between Athens and Vilnius. While flying over the airspace of Belarus, a Belarus MIG-29 fighter aircraft intercepted the commercial flight and instructed the RyanAir plane to follow the MIG to Minsk.
Simultaneously, Belarus ground control advised the cockpit that they had information indicating there was a security situation on board – an explosive device.
FlightRadar displayed a curious routing, given the claim that there was an explosive onboard, Minsk was not the closest airport, that would have been Vilnius. The presence of the MIG-29 persuaded the aircraft pilot, who is responsible for the safety of all on board to follow the instructions of the military aircraft, even if they did not align with procedure.
When the plane landed, Belarus journalist-blogger-dissident and founder of NEXTA, Roman Protasevich (26 yoa), and his Russian girl friend Sofia Sapega were detained. The plane was searched for explosives and after a few hours was allowed to continue on to Vilnius.
Neither Protasevich nor Sapega were among those who flew onward to Vilnius. Interestingly, four unidentified Russian nationals were also missing from the flight, having remained in Minsk, thus fueling the speculation of Russian participation in the covert operation to detain the young Protasevich. .
What transpired involving Protasevich
Protasevich was vacationing in Greece. He noted on his Telegram channel that he believed he was being surveilled. He also made a post from the Athens airport that he was receiving undue attention from individuals he believed to be Russian nationals.
European media has reported that Belarus security personnel created a disturbance on board the aircraft prior to it being diverted to Minsk. Lithuanian media outlet, Defli, reports there was no altercation on board the aircraft. Indeed, the captain announced they were diverting to Minsk upon receiving a message from ground control and at the direction of the MIG-29.
Upon arrival all passengers were ordered off the aircraft, and fellow passenger, Monika Simkien, hears Protasevich say, “The death penalty awaits me here.”
How the world is reacting to Belarus belligerence
Secretary of State, Antony J. Blinken did not mince words, “The United States 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. This shocking act perpetrated by the Lukashenka regime endangered the lives of more than 120 passengers, including U.S. citizens. Initial reports suggesting the involvement of the Belarusian security services and the use of Belarusian military aircraft to escort the plane are deeply concerning and require full investigation.”
He continued, “Given indications the forced landing was based on false pretenses, we support the earliest possible meeting of the Council of the International Civil Aviation Organization (ICAO) to review these events.”
The ICAO commented how they were “strongly concerned” by the events and not that it “could be a contravention of the Chicago Convention.” (NB: The Chicago Convention of 1944, according to ICAO “landmark agreement established the core principles permitting international transport by air.”
The chairman of the Foreign Affairs Select Committee, Tom Tugendhat, noted “”This is an act of air-piracy, combined with hijacking, and eventually linked to kidnapping.”
While the President of Lithuania, Gitanas Nauseda has called for the European Council to address “state-sponsored terror act in Minsk.” Nauseda suggested Belarus airspace be closed; aircraft from Belarus banned; and sanctions be imposed upon the regime.
The German Foreign Office shared a statement by Foreign Minister Maas which highlighted the deception of Belarus, “Diverting a flight between two EU states under the pretext of a bomb threat is a serious interference in civil aviation in Europe.”
What it might mean for USG travel
The actions of Belarus are unprecedented and could open up a Pandora’s box if emulated. It doesn’t take much of an imagination to see how dissidents could be arrested and silenced if the plane they were flying transited airspace of their home country, as was the case with Protasevich .
Early morning May 24, AirBaltic flights are flying circuitous routes, avoiding Belarus air space by flying around the country instead of over the country.
The ramifications for U.S. government cleared personnel and their international travel routings will become infinitely more complex, as travelers will have to ensure that their flights do not transit the airspace of countries who have an antagonistic relationship with the United States.
For now, we watch as the world reacts to the outrageous and illegal behavior of Belarus.
