Five years after the forced diversion of a Ryanair flight to Minsk, former political prisoner Sofia Sapega has detailed her detention in a stark interview with the independent outlet Zerkalo, contrasting her harsh isolation in a penal colony with the relative comfort and cooperation of her former partner, Raman Pratasevich.
The Diversion Over Minsk and the Divergent Paths
The incident began on May 23, 2021, when a Ryanair flight traveling to Vilnius was intercepted and ordered to land in Minsk under the guise of a security threat. Belarusian authorities boarded the aircraft and detained Pratasevich, a prominent opposition blogger, alongside his companion, Sofia Sapega, a Russian citizen.
Recalling the moments before the landing, Sapega told Zerkalo that she noticed her knees shaking while maintaining a clear head, whereas Pratasevich experienced an immediate and severe panic. Negalima, nereikia dabar leisti lėktuvo, jie nori mus sučiupti!
she recalled him shouting at the flight attendant, noting that his visible terror contradicted later claims that he had acted as an advance KGB operative.
Following the landing, the two were immediately separated. Sapega was taken by airport personnel to a separate room where she recognized Artur Gaiko, an individual later revealed to have been infiltrated into the opposition project The Black Book of Belarus, where she worked. She was subsequently transferred to the Main Directorate for Combating Organized Crime and Corruption, where she was coerced into recording a confession video under direct threats of physical violence.
Isolation and Physical Abuse at Akrescino
Sapega described severe mistreatment during her initial detention in the temporary holding facility on Akrescino Street in Minsk. Arriving in light clothing from a trip to Greece, she endured freezing temperatures in her cell. Radau kažką panašaus į akmenėlį ar muilo gabalėlį ir ant purvinos žalios sienos parašiau: „Aš čia mirsiu“,
she recalled to Zerkalo, noting she had lost all hope of release.
Sofia Sapega is arrested for two months & is in the Minsk Detention Center №1 now, according to her lawyer. Sofia was detained with R. Pratasevich when the regime hijacked the @Ryanair plane. Political prisoners face ill-treatment in Belarus. Sofia must be released immediately. pic.twitter.com/NbOzZAMyIK
During her time in the facility, she experienced physical abuse, including being led into a corridor and struck across the back with a baton by guards. Despite the violence, she remained silent, describing an out-of-body detachment from the events.
The Fallout and Accusations of Collaboration
In her interview with Zerkalo, Sapega expressed sharp criticism of Pratasevich’s conduct following their arrest, accusing him of cooperating immediately with authorities to secure personal privileges. According to Sapega, Pratasevich disclosed extensive details regarding her involvement with The Black Book of Belarus, her colleagues, and their personal relationship during interrogations without her knowledge.
In 2021, Belarus forced a Ryanair flight to land in Minsk and arrested two passengers, Roman Protasevich and his then-girlfriend, Sofia Sapega. In a new interview, Sapega told her side of what happened to them after their arrest. https://t.co/xglEch5Hj8
While Sapega was ultimately sentenced to six years in a penal colony in May 2022 on charges of inciting social hatred and making threats, Pratasevich received an eight-year sentence in May 2023 for organizing riots and conspiring to seize power. Sapega contrasted her prolonged confinement with Pratasevich’s experience under house arrest, where he hosted media engagements and played computer games. Aš sėdėjau kolonijoje, o jis žaidė kompiuterinius žaidimus ir kelis kartus vedė,
she remarked to Zerkalo.
Authoritarian leader Alexander Lukashenko granted a pardon to Pratasevich in May 2023, followed by a presidential pardon for Sapega in June 2023, facilitating her return to Russia.
A year after the unprecedented @Ryanair aircraft hijack in Minsk, the regime sentenced Sofia Sapega to 6 years in prison. She became collateral damage to Lukashenka's attack on her boyfriend Pratasevich. I am sorry for Sofia & her family. No one should suffer from dictatorship. pic.twitter.com/G9YLqy5iyf
