Disinfo: The Ryanair incident was handled according to international regulations

Summary

Minsk acted in full accordance with existing international regulations

Disproof

The Belarusian authorities violated several international agreements on air traffic security in connection with the forced downing of the passenger plane on 23 May 2021.

Roman Pratasevich was detained in Minsk airport when flying from Athens to Vilnius. On Sunday, May 23, 2021, the Ryanair flight from Greece to Lithuania was forced to turn back before crossing the Lithuanian border and land in the Belarusian capital. The pretext for landing in Minsk was a false report about a bomb on board. At the moment when the plane changed course, it was closer to Vilnius airport than to Minsk. The plane was forced to land in the Belarusian capital by a Belarusian military aircraft. Roman Protasevich was detained during a repeated security check of passengers. Belarusian authorities are persecuting him due to activities in reporting on the 2020 presidential election on his NEXTA channel on Telegram used by the country's opposition. The Belarusian security service, KGB, has listed him as a terrorist (Read more about Pratasevich here). Together with Roman Pratasevich his girlfriend was detained, a citizen of the Russian Federation Sofia Sapega.

The EU condemned Belarusian action against civil plane and the detention of Pratasevich. 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 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 to ban overflight of EU airspace by Belarusian airlines and prevent access to EU airports of flights operated by these.

The incident is investigated as an act of terrorism by Lithuanian authorities.

The incident has been widely condemned. See also the statement referring to the concerns of the UN Secretary General.

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  • Reported in: Issue 245
  • DATE OF PUBLICATION: 24/05/2021
  • Article language(s) Russian, Greek
  • Countries and/or Regions discussed in the disinformation: Belarus
  • Keywords: Terrorism, Ryanair Flight 4978
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Disinfo: Forcing down aircraft is common practice among special forces

Special forces of many countries divert or force aircraft to land in order to detain people of interest. Not only the Americans are known for this, but Israel, Turkey, Iran...

May 23, 2021
Disproof

The case with Ryanair FR4879 is unique, as the aircraft was intercepted by military fighter-jets, armed with air-to-air missiles. At no earlier occasion have national authorities mobilised the military in such a way to detain a wanted criminal.

Background:

Disinfo: Pratasevich could tell how the West supported and coordinated protests in Belarus

The detention of the founder of the NEXTA Telegram channel Roman Pratasevich looks like a good-planned operation of Belarusian special forces. Minsk hopes that Pratasevich could tell a lot about how the West supported and coordinated protests in Belarus. It could influence his further fate.

The operation was risky but today in the context of big geopolitical interests all play a game without rules. In this case, the end of Pratasevich story justifies the means.

May 23, 2021
Disproof

Recurring disinformation narrative about the West being behind protests in Belarus.

The protests in Belarus erupted to contest the results of the presidential election on 9 August 2020, which were not monitored by independent experts, and are largely considered fraudulent by both international observers and a big part of the Belarusian society. On 19 August 2020, the European Council called Belarusian elections neither free nor fair.

Disinfo: The captain of the Ryanair flight decided to land in Minsk, because it was the nearest airport

According to international rules, Minsk turned out to be the nearest airport, and according to these same international rules, the captain of the flight decided to land in Minsk. It was the decision of the captain of the flight.

May 23, 2021
Disproof

Disinformation about the Ryanair flight 4978.

On Sunday, May 23, 2021, the Ryanair flight from Greece to Lithuania was forced to turn back minutes before crossing the Lithuanian border and land in the Belarusian capital. The pretext for landing in Minsk was a false report about the bomb on board. At the moment when the plane changed course, it was closer to Vilnius airport than to Minsk. The plane was forced to land in the Belarusian capital by a Belarusian military aircraft. To land in the Belarusian capital was not the Ryanair pilots' decision.