When a Belarusian warplane intercepted a Ryanair passenger jet over Belarus on Sunday, one man on board immediately knew he faced mortal danger. Lukashenko - 'Europe's last dictator' - personally gave the order for the 170 passengers to be brought down hundreds of miles from their final destination. Protasevich was with his Russian girlfriend Sofia Sapega, 23, a law student at the European Humanities University based in Lithuania. As it was announced the plane was landing in Minsk, he was seen standing up and opening the overhead locker. Protasevich immediately started unpacking his bag and handed a laptop and phone to his girlfriend Sapega - but she too was arrested.

Source: The Nation May 24, 2021 12:00 UTC