DISINFO: Ryanair Flight 4978 incident was a UK's provocation
SUMMARY
Brits organised a provocation in the Belarusian sky involving Raman Pratasevich. Thanks to the cooperation of Belarusian and Russian security services, the UK's hybrid operation failed. Pratasevich as a puppet went out of control and began to speak. He acknowledged the organisation of protests with money coming from Poland and the UK for these.
RESPONSE
This is a recurring pro-Kremlin disinformation narrative about western “colour revolution” attempts in Belarus.
There is no proof that the UK was anyhow involved in the Ryanair flight FR4987 incident. On 23 May 2021, the plane's crew en route from Athens to Vilnius was told by the Minsk Air Control about a bomb on board and demanded the flight redirected to Minsk. As the plane landed, a dissident journalist Raman Pratasevich wanted by the Belarusian authorities for “extremism” was detained. No bombs were found. In the afternoon of 24 May, Belarusian authorities claimed that the Palestinian terrorist organisation Hamas had organised the bomb threat, allegedly to force the EU to demand an Israeli cease-fire in Gaza. This came several days after a cease-fire had already been negotiated.
On 24 May 2021, in a declaration on behalf of the EU on the forced diversion of Ryanair flight FR4978 to Minsk on 23 May 2021, the High Representative called for the immediate release of detained journalist Mr Pratasevich. This was followed by a European Council statement, in which the EU leaders called for targeted individual and economic sanctions as well as a ban on flights over EU airspace by Belarusian airlines as well as preventing these flights from accessing airports in the EU airports. On 4 June 2021, the European Council introduced a ban on the overflight of EU airspace and on access to EU airports by Belarusian carriers of all kinds.
See earlier disinformation cases here and here alleging that the Ryanair flight incident could be UK's provocation, and claiming that Pratasevich is a "sacred sacrifice" in the US plan of the hostile takeover of Belarus.