Three Belarusians named suspects in 2021 Ryanair plane grounding case

Three Belarusian citizens have been named as suspects in the forced grounding of Ryanair flight FR4978 in 2021, according to the Polish Prosecutor General’s Office. The incident occurred on May 23, 2021, when the Belarusian air force forced the Athens-to-Vilnius flight to land in Minsk. Once grounded, Belarusian authorities arrested opposition activist and journalist Raman Pratasevich, along with his girlfriend Sofia Sapega. The rest of the passengers and crew were allowed to proceed to Vilnius after several hours of delay.

The suspects include high-ranking officials from Belarus’ security and air navigation sectors: Leonid C., a former head of the Belarusian Air Navigation Agency; Evgenia T., the head of the Minsk air traffic control shift; and Andrei A. M., the head of the Belarusian KGB. These individuals are suspected of illegally detaining the 132 passengers and crew members aboard the flight, with the aim of intimidating opponents of the Belarusian government.

Polish prosecutors have requested the issuance of European Arrest Warrants and involvement from Interpol, as the suspects are not located in Poland. The investigation involved collaboration between Lithuanian and Polish authorities, with Eurojust coordinating efforts. Evidence collected includes aircraft inspections, audio recordings, witness testimonies, and technical data from the black boxes. Investigators believe the Belarusian special services fabricated a bomb threat to justify grounding the plane and carrying out the arrests.

The incident, deemed an “act of a terrorist nature” by Lithuanian authorities, sparked international outrage and has led to continued investigations by both Lithuanian and Polish officials.