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Russian embassy addresses Belarus over detention of Russian citizen

The diplomatic mission requested consular access to the young woman detained in Minsk
Russian embassy in Belarus AP Photo/Sergei Grits
Russian embassy in Belarus
© AP Photo/Sergei Grits

SOCHI, May 24. /TASS/. Russian diplomats in Belarus have requested consular access to the Russian citizen detained in Minsk on a Ryanair flight on Sunday, Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov said on Monday during a press conference, answering a question by TASS.

"You’ve mentioned the Belarusian citizen, and as far as we know, his acquaintance, a Russian citizen, was also with him. We have already contacted her father, and our embassy addressed the Belarusian Foreign Ministry with a request to provide information about our citizen and provide consular access to her," he said.

A Vilnius-bound Ryanair flight that took off from Athens was forced to make an emergency landing at Minsk International Airport on May 25 after a reported bomb threat. The plane landed safely and no bomb was found on the aircraft. The Belarusian Investigative Committee launched criminal proceedings over a fake bomb threat.

Roman Protasevich, one of the co-founders of the Nexta Telegram channel, which was recognized as extremist in Belarus, was among the passengers. Protasevich, currently living in Lithuania and wanted in Belarus, was detained after the airliner landed in the Belarusian capital. The Russian Embassy stated that it is verifying media reports of a Russian citizen detained in Minsk alongside Protasevich.