On 23 May 2021, Belarus forced a Ryanair flight, FR 4978, bound for Lithuania to divert to Minsk, accompanied by a fighter jet, to arrest dissident journalist Roman Protasevich. The plane had taken off from Athens and was en route to Vilnius when, just before entering Lithuanian airspace, it was ordered to land in Minsk. The crew was informed of a potential security threat and complied with the order, with a Belarusian warplane escorting the flight. However, no explosives were found on board. Instead, Protasevich and his girlfriend were removed from the plane and arrested.
Protasevich, a well-known Belarusian opposition journalist, founded the NEXTA blog and Telegram channel, which played a pivotal role in organizing anti-government protests last year. Belarus’s authoritarian leader, Alexander Lukashenko, is believed to have personally ordered the operation as his government faces growing opposition following disputed elections.
Ryanair’s CEO, Michael O’Leary, condemned the action as “state-sponsored hijacking” in an interview with the Irish independent radio station Newstalk on 24 May 2021. The forced diversion has sparked widespread international criticism of Lukashenko’s regime.
Newstalk: Can I start by asking you if your flight that was intercepted going from Greece to Lithuania intercepted over Belarus—your reaction to that? This must be the first time this has ever happened to a Ryanair flight
Michael O’Leary: I think it’s the first time it’s happened to a European airline, but I mean, this was a case of state-sponsored hijacking, state-sponsored piracy. But unfortunately, I can’t say much about it because the EU authorities and NATO are dealing with it at the moment. We’re debriefing the crews. our crews did a phenomenal job to get that aircraft and almost all the passengers out of Minsk after six hours, but we have to do a detailed debrief today with the NATO and EU authorities
Newstalk: I understand you’re restricting what you can say. it must have been very stressful for everybody, but particularly I presume for your staff—the pilots and crew—because it must have been very frightening for them
O’Leary: I think it was very fighting for the crew for the passengers who were held under armed guard had their bags searched .when it was clear, it appears that the intent of the Russian authorities was to remove a journalist and his traveling companion. You know we believe there were also some KGB agents offloaded off the aircraft as well.
Newstalk: So your understanding is that where agents on board as well. Will it change your plans in terms of flying over Belarus? Will you make any changes to your schedules? What do you think?
O’Leary: Like all the European airlines, I think we are looking for guidance today from the European authorities and NATO. If we are directed, we’ve asked them should we fly around Belorussia. We don’t fly over Belorussia much, and it would be a very minor adjustment to stay fly over Poland on those routes and but we will take our lead from the European security and safety agencies.
The international community is still grappling with the fallout from this shocking event, which serves as a stark reminder of the need to remain vigilant against authoritarianism and protect the fundamental rights of all individuals, regardless of their political beliefs or affiliations.
While strong reactions from governments and airlines may not have a significant impact, implementing international sanctions effectively will prove challenging. The Economist highlights a troubling reality: the EU’s weak response may lead Putin to believe he could take similar actions without facing consequences.