Lukashenko Accuses Protasevich of Working for Belarusian Intelligence and Attempted Escape
The President of Belarus, Alexander Lukashenko, made a sensational statement revealing that Roman Protasevich, a former opposition figure, is actually an agent of Belarusian intelligence.
According to Lukashenko, the ex-editor of the opposition channel NEXTA was operating undercover on behalf of foreign intelligence services.
He explained that the detention of Protasevich was not necessary at the moment since he had just returned from Greece, where he had a brief visit.
Lukashenko also highlighted that Protasevich and his girlfriend, Russian citizen Sofia Sapeha, received significant prison sentences in 2022 for inciting hatred but were later pardoned.
Furthermore, Lukashenko described the circumstances around the 2021 Ryanair plane incident, where the plane was forcibly diverted from Minsk with Protasevich onboard, stating that it was a political provocation rather than a terrorist act, as was initially claimed.