The extraordinary forced landing of a commercial flight with a Belarusian dissident aboard escalated into one of the biggest flare-ups in East-West tensions in recent years.
Tag: Lithuania
Belarus Forces Down Ryanair Flight Carrying Journalist
The dissident, Roman Protasevich, co-founded a Telegram channel that is a popular opposition outlet in Belarus. The plane was flying from Athens to Lithuania when it was forced down.
Europe Lifts AstraZeneca Vaccine Suspension Amid New Lockdowns
France, Germany and other countries resumed use of the AstraZeneca shots after concerns about side effects, but the pace of inoculation remained too slow to blunt the latest wave of infection.
Belarus Protest Leader Vanishes Amid Reports of Masked Abductors
With large-scale demonstrations showing little sign of winding down, President Aleksandr G. Lukashenko’s security forces appear to have shifted from mass repression to more targeted disappearances.
For Belarus Leader, a Fading Aura of Invincibility
Undermined by the pandemic and a deepening economic crisis, and surrounded by sycophants, Aleksandr Lukashenko badly miscalculated in the recent election.
Belarus Election: Svetlana Tikhanovskaya Flees Country Amid Protests
Svetlana Tikhanovskaya disappeared for several hours, then released a cryptic video message. Lithuania’s foreign minister said she was in his country and was “safe.”
Russia Frees Norwegian Convicted of Spying in Unusual 3-Way Swap
A retired Norwegian border inspector, two Lithuanians and two convicted Russian spies were exchanged.