Lukashenko alleges Ryanair activist was KGB officer
(MENAFN) Belarusian President Alexander Lukashenko has asserted that a prominent figure in the country’s 2020-2021 anti-government protests, who was arrested after a Ryanair flight was forced to land in Minsk, was in fact an undercover KGB officer, according to reports.
Roman Protasevich and Sofia Sapega, who managed influential Telegram channels later labeled extremist by Minsk, were traveling from Greece to Vilnius when authorities cited a bomb threat and compelled the plane to land. Both were detained, sparking widespread international condemnation, and were later pardoned by Lukashenko.
“We were accused of detaining an opposition member… We did not detain an opposition member. Then sanctions were imposed,” Lukashenko said, adding, “Protasevich is an officer of our intelligence.” Protasevich subsequently confirmed this information.
The arrests prompted the US, UK, and EU to impose sectoral sanctions on Belarus amid claims of election fraud. In 2023, the Biden administration sanctioned Belarusian airline Belavia, citing Protasevich’s arrest and alleged involvement in the Ukraine conflict. Earlier this year, US President Donald Trump eased tensions by lifting sanctions on the carrier as part of a deal that secured the release of 52 prisoners in Belarus.
Protasevich, previously celebrated in Western media as a dissident following the Ryanair incident, confirmed to a Russian news agency on Friday that he is a Belarusian intelligence officer.
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