Ryanair says that its crew was "notified by Belarus ATC [air traffic control] of a potential security threat on board and were instructed to divert to the nearest airport, Minsk."
The situation in Belarus
- Thread starter Raoul
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Read this today, crazy story, but not surprising. Not nearly as mental as the Washington Post guy that was chopped up by the Arabs but still pretty mental.
This is nothing compared to that. This is more state sponsored piracy. That was pure murder. And chopped up and dissolved in acid.
Well they still have time to make it exactly like that.
I feel the onus is on Belarus now to prove what happened. If they are not guilty it's very easy to prove so. Just submit the ATC and radar recordings to ICAO. And also release the guy. It gets a bit more interesting because his girlfriend is Russian and is not wanted in Russia so the Russians are obliged to stand up for her.
Lukashenko is a raving lunatic.
To prove what exactly?
He’s taking the piss by saying they’ve received an email from Hamas (Hamas actually just denied any involvement). He’s mocking west with Putin and the worst is people like you are still taking them seriously. They’re brutal murderer regimes and don’t give a single feck. They’re currently torturing the guy and his girlfriend, he’s been beaten up and already been filmed by the state tv making statement that he will cooperate with the investigation on his acts of terrorism. Oh and Russian doesn’t give a feck about her and many citizens that don’t fall in line, she’s been thrown to wolves who have probably raped her multiple times just to get the concessions from Roman on the video.
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Do you have any idea what you are talking about? This is about an alleged international aviation piracy.To prove what exactly?
This is not about kidnapping a guy. Frankly I have no opinion on the guy he kidnapped. A lot worse happened in Gaza last week and none of you said anything.
This is about getting an aircraft to land under false information. This has not happened before and it's all alleged at this moment in time. I don't care about what you think. It's on you.
Not sure if this one should be mentioned alongside others as it was hardly a planned thing. Just incompetent idiots with anti-aircraft missiles. Although if you include the cover up then you can probably add it to the list.
This thread is about Belarus, so I get exactly what I’m talking about I just don’t like this apologist tone you’re bringing and now you got into whataboutism as well. Nice one. Are People in Gaza killing and terrorsing their own people? Why are you brining this into it in the first place? I don’t see any parallels here. An abhorrent act by Israel towards Palestine does not have any bearing on Belarus.
Wait, are you seriously waiting for some explanation to come up?
I think he's the same guy that said passengers could likely land a plane if they receive instructions, in another thread.
Precisely that guy.I think he's the same guy that said passengers could likely land a plane if they receive instructions, in another thread.
They could, if they were pilots trained in that type of aircraft.I think he's the same guy that said passengers could likely land a plane if they receive instructions, in another thread.
so there!
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I guess this is good. Also Belarus flag at the Hockey world cup has been replaced by the opposition's flag.
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As usual with these type of situations, there will be the usual protests, wringing of hands and token gestures from the international community. And then it will gradually drift from political and public consciousness and it will be conveniently forgotten.
That is how it works and the Belarus dictatorship know that perfectly well.
Unless I am very much mistaken nothing will happen.
That is how it works and the Belarus dictatorship know that perfectly well.
Unless I am very much mistaken nothing will happen.
As I said; token gestures.
If no EU or US airlines fly to BLR and their carrier is not permitted at EU/US airports that will be something. If it persists.
Well let's see if that has any effect. And how long it will last.
The "bomb threat" email from "Hamas" was sent after the plane had already been diverted.
Russia is now refusing to allow flights from airlines that are avoiding Belarusian airspace. Would be a real shame if Aeroflot found itself the target of retaliation.
https://www.theguardian.com/world/2...body-to-launch-inquiry-into-belarus-hijacking
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Russia is now refusing to allow flights from airlines that are avoiding Belarusian airspace. Would be a real shame if Aeroflot found itself the target of retaliation.
https://www.theguardian.com/world/2...body-to-launch-inquiry-into-belarus-hijacking
It was always going to be a sham in the bomb threat. What has Belarus got to do with Palestine? There is no reason why anyone would want to do it for political reasons for Ryanair.
As for the Russians why on earth do they want to do it? It's absolutely crazy. Funny but BA was allowed to operate and KLM were allowed to operate to Moscow.
As for the Russians why on earth do they want to do it? It's absolutely crazy. Funny but BA was allowed to operate and KLM were allowed to operate to Moscow.
The pilot did what he should have done. That Belarus made up the bomb threat and got their ATC to get them to land to arrest the journalist couldn't have been known by the pilot, so he reacted exactly as he should have done. You would have thought the misbehavior by Belarus was enough drama for one story without the need to embellish it
Thats exactly what I am saying. Nothing much the pilot could have done. It is all on Belarus for this act of piracy.
There’s quite a horrifying interview of Protasevich’ on Belarusian TV. He admits his crimes, asks for forgiveness, literally says that Lukashenko has balls of steel. It’s hard to watch as anyone can understand the way that he came to those “conclusions”.
He is also negative about the protests and opposition, isn't he? I haven't seen it, only read a report. I wonder how they got him to say all that. Are they threatening to murder his girlfriend? (To go right to the most obvious option.) I don't suppose he shows sign of torture on the video.
His hands have clear marks from the handcuffs, but other than that there are no visible signs of torture. They clearly broke him and it was sure as feck not done in a humane and law-abiding way — be it physical torture (they usually hit the spots that aren't visible under the clothes) or a psychological one (they kidnapped him out of the blue, they have his girldfriend, he has no future unless Lukashenko goes away and the lunatic clearly showed that he doesn't care about international opinion so Protasevich's life is literally in Lukashenko's hands).
The Olympics have brought Belarus back into the news with one of their sprinters nearly being abducted and forcibly returned to Belarus after criticizing the Belarussian olympic staff. Poland has granted her a humanitarian visa, and her husband fled Belarus to Kyiv. Now the problem will be for them both to get to the same place without flying over Belarus, otherwise they could get kidnapped.
https://www.theguardian.com/sport/2...fused-fly-home-reportedly-seeks-asylum-poland
https://www.theguardian.com/sport/2...fused-fly-home-reportedly-seeks-asylum-poland
& the day after a Belarusian activist who helps Belarusian's flee persecution is found dead in a park in Ukraine.
Obviously could be an awful coincidence but..
https://news.sky.com/story/missing-...-a-park-in-kiev-ukrainian-police-say-12371377
https://www.theguardian.com/world/2...der-vitaly-shishov-missing-in-kyiv-police-say
Damn, the Belarussian regime is not messing around, are they? Diverting a passenger jet, now this suspicious death of an activist, the Olympic athlete situation.
The EU should impose an economic ban. Why are they reacting so slowly? Or are there fears that Russia might invade Belarus then?
How much do they have left to ban or sanction though? Also, Lukashenko doesn't seem to care in the slightest, and getting closer to Russia is already his only remaining option anyway.
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They still export a lot of potash. That would definitely hurt the elite in Belarus.
Things are escalating…NATO article 4 might be triggered in the next few weeks by Poland/Baltic countries if things will continue to get worse on the border.
Got a summary of what's going on? Same tactics they employed in Ukraine?
There are more than a thousand immigrants (Kurds, I think) on the border of Belarus and Poland. Belarus currently estimates their number at about 2000. And more are coming towards them from Minsk. Poland doesn't want to let them in, so they are using tear gas etc. not to let them to move past the barbwire fences.
Lukashenko has threatened to do it multiple times and it had been happening for a while now, just not in this numbers. He lets immigrants into the country and gives them a free pass to one of the European borders in order to cross it — Poland, Latvia, Lithuania. Unsurprisingly, they don't want to stay in Belarus itself and are aiming to move to central Europe; so Lukashenko uses them as a way to provoke issues in neighbouring countries — I probably don't need to tell you that the issue with "illegal" immigration is a widely divisive topic, especially in Eastern European countries of the European Union.
Makes sense then, its the main weapon Russia employ's against the EU. Helps right wing nationalistic parties get elected all over the EU, who just so happen to also be anti-EU. Its the one thing that could eventually bring it down.
Good summary. Though on the bolded I don’t think it’s true at all. There’s pretty much no division when it come this issue in EU eastern block countries.