Belarus journalist Raman Pratasevich, pictured in 2019, was removed from a Ryanair flight along with his Russian girlfriend Sofia Sapega. Belarus authorities then arrested the 26-year-old activist, journalist and prominent Lukashenko critic. Belarus President Alexander Lukashenko is reported to have ordered a MiG-29 fighter jet to accompany the Ryanair flight to Minsk. On Sunday, flight tracker sites indicated the Ryanair flight was about 10 kilometres from the Lithuanian border when it was diverted. Protesters carry a wounded man during clashes with police after the presidential election in Minsk, Belarus on August 10, 2020.

Source: New Zealand Herald May 24, 2021 18:54 UTC