MOSCOW, May 25. /TASS/. Belarusian air traffic controllers tried to minimize possible threat to the Ryanair flight, Russian president’s press secretary Dmitry Peskov said on Tuesday.
"In general, there could be a threat to the lives not only Russian nationals but all people who were onboard the plane. Air traffic controllers reportedly took certain steps to minimize this threat," he said, adding that all necessary notifications were made in conformity with international regulations.
A Vilnius-bound Ryanair flight that took off from Athens was forced to make an emergency landing at Minsk International Airport on May 23 after a reported bomb threat. The plane landed safely and no bomb was found on board. 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 had landed in the Belarusian capital. The plane left Minsk and continued on to Vilnius late on Sunday. Later, it was reported that Russian national Sofia Sapega had been detained along with Protasevich. The same information was posted on the website of European Humanities University in Lithuania, where she studies.