A Ryanair flight from Athens, Greece, to Vilnius, the capital of Lithuania, which was intercepted by a Belarusian war plane and forced to land in Minsk yesterday had five passengers who did not reach its destination, Lithuanian officials said today.
Belarus’ action, which resulted in the detention of dissident journalist Roman Protasevich, who was on board the intercepted plane, prompted international condemnation and accusations of aerial “piracy”.
A spokeswoman for the Lithuanian government said that the latest information available from Ryanair suggests that 126 passengers left the Greek capital and that 121 were present on arrival in Lithuania.
Earlier comments by Lithuanian authorities estimated the number of passengers between 123 and 127, plus the crew. None of the employees commented on the identity of the passengers who remained in Minsk.
“Ryanair has corrected the reported passenger numbers three times for us. The last correction is that 126 passengers left Athens and 121 landed in Vilnius. That does not include the crew of six,” spokeswoman Rasa Jakilaitiene told Reuters.
Ryanair chief Michael O’Leary, who referred to the incident as a state-sponsored hijacking, said today that he believed security officers were on the flight and landed in Minsk.
This would mean that the operation was effectively coordinated with spies who operated on the ground in Greece.
A Belarusian university in Vilnius said one of its students, Sofia Sapega, 23, who was traveling with Protasevich, was also detained in Minsk. The university demanded his release.
Lithuanian police are questioning passengers who later disembarked in Vilnius after the flight finally arrived at their destination, and are examining the aircraft, criminal police chief Rolandas Kiskis told reporters.
The investigation could take months, said the Lithuanian deputy attorney general.
The Lithuanian government advised its citizens to avoid traveling to Belarus and instructed those currently in the country to leave immediately. It also ordered the aircraft that use Vilnius airport to avoid Belarusian airspace.
