Big Trouble in Little Belarus

[Nice Guy Eddie 13414]

Belarusian opposition journalist was flying on Ryanair between Greece and Lithuania. The flight (tracking link) took them over Belarus, and the disputed President used a military jet to force Ryanair to land in Minsk to arrest the journalist. Can't trust ex-Soviet States that have had the same guy in power for 25+ years. 

https://www.cnn.com/2021/05/23/europe/belarus-activist-emergency-landing-intl/index.html

 

 

[Guest Lobo]

What, you think our FAA is so innocent?  

[956 Worldwide 34444]

I do like your title better.

 

[Nice Guy Eddie 13414]

15 minutes ago, 956 Worldwide said:

I do like your title better.

 

I should have added SIAP.

[washparkhorn 9935]

[Mrs Whiggins 13049]

@immamacor @hayden_horn if it's not too much trouble, would you be able to merge the two threads regarding this event?

[washparkhorn 9935]

Putin scumfuckery. Lukashenko pledged Belarus allegiance to Putin.

[Sawbonz 27436]

Ryanair, Ryanair, the story of a plane’s hijacking from Vilnius to Minsk 

[RDCanecutter 26281]

10 minutes ago, washparkhorn said:

Back when book covers were book covers, bah Gawd.

[Guest Lobo]

22 minutes ago, washparkhorn said:

Starring the incomparable, Miss Bette Midler as Daria Ivanova, the Belarusian air traffic controller who is "getting too old for this shit!"  

[High Plains Drifter 10977]

 

pos hook em rep for thread title

[956 Worldwide 34444]

Just want to reiterate how absolutely insane this is.  The Belarusians made a fake bomb threat and diverted 100s of people when a plane carrying a journalist they didn’t like transited their airspace. Western airlines should turn off all flights in and out and refuse overflight from their national carrier. 

[workswithseed 2037]

16 minutes ago, High Plains Drifter said:

 

pos hook em rep for thread title

Pos, as in positive? I just figured the hook'em didn't need to have pos in front since it's already implied like los niños. You don't need the los at all.

Edited May 23, 2021 by workswithseed

[Telegraph_it 3354]

These six individuals need to be identified. 

 

[Telegraph_it 3354]

 

[PsychMike 1539]

[Guest Lobo]

I almost wish Commander Dipshit was still President so he could be asked about this and we could hear him stumble and lie like the slingblade half-wit he is.  Almost.

[Mrs Whiggins 13049]

Of course not, Putin is totally in cahoots with this; America is going down that path if we do not act accordingly.

 

[Firemans4Horn 17834]

For fucks sake. Let’s just completely ignore the kidnapped passenger and his arrested girlfriend  

 

 

[InkaUtexas 25520]

Department of State statement. 

Antony J. Blinken, Secretary of State

The United States strongly condemns the forced diversion of a flight between two EU member states and the subsequent removal and arrest of journalist Raman Pratasevich in Minsk. We demand his immediate release. This shocking act perpetrated by the Lukashenka regime endangered the lives of more than 120 passengers, including U.S. citizens. Initial reports suggesting the involvement of the Belarusian security services and the use of Belarusian military aircraft to escort the plane are deeply concerning and require full investigation.

We are closely coordinating our response with our partners, including the EU and Lithuanian and Greek officials. Given indications the forced landing was based on false pretenses, we support the earliest possible meeting of the Council of the International Civil Aviation Organization to review these events.

Independent media are an essential pillar supporting the rule of law and a vital component of a democratic society. The United States once again condemns the Lukashenka regime’s ongoing harassment and arbitrary detention of journalists. We stand with the Belarusian people in their aspirations for a free, democratic, and prosperous future and support their call for the regime to respect human rights and fundamental freedoms.

[NAVY 6739]

Lopan: Does the girlfriend have green eyes? 

[Woland 729]

I flew to Minsk Airport once so this hits close to home. One of the strangest experiences of my life.

[Fudge Nuggets 19151]

At least they didn’t shoot down this one. I guess Putin is getting soft as he gets older.

[WhatTheBuck 28713]

6 hours ago, High Plains Drifter said:

 

pos hook em rep for thread title

The first one was better. It actually stated the subject of the thread. 

[LABEVO 928]

6 hours ago, 956 Worldwide said:

Just want to reiterate how absolutely insane this is.  The Belarusians made a fake bomb threat and diverted 100s of people when a plane carrying a journalist they didn’t like transited their airspace. Western airlines should turn off all flights in and out and refuse overflight from their national carrier. 

twitter (who knows if true) said it was KGB on the plane who executed on the plane the fake bomb threat

[Francisco 2.0 32342]

2 hours ago, Firemans4Horn said:

For fucks sake. Let’s just completely ignore the kidnapped passenger and his arrested girlfriend  

 

 

 

 

 

[OneOfTheOutOfFocusGuys 2059]

Given that it is Ryanair, I figured the press release would conclude with “the passengers were charged 39.99 euro for the additional stop.” 

[27-25 2040]

I'm not on anyone's radar, as far as I know, but if I were, one of my first principles in life would be to ensure I do not cross the border, either via land or air, of someone who wishes me to be dead.

[OneOfTheOutOfFocusGuys 2059]

10 minutes ago, Francisco 2.0 said:

 

 

 

Is this the worst PR statement ever?

[staboner 4959]

goddammit. this shit here is not good. 

and get fucked ryanair

[WhatTheBuck 28713]

1 hour ago, LABEVO said:

twitter (who knows if true) said it was KGB on the plane who executed on the plane the fake bomb threat

There would be absolutely no reason to do that. Belarus simply has to make the allegation as an excuse for forcing the plane down then go through the phony act of looking for a bomb while they abduct the dissident. 

[Francisco 2.0 32342]

 

[bernorange 8348]

Khashoggied

[tx 3 putt 76395]

ive flown into Vilnius, fun little place 

[WhatTheBuck 28713]

39 minutes ago, tx 3 putt said:

ive flown into Vilnius, fun little place 

What was her name?

[956 Worldwide 34444]

4 hours ago, OneOfTheOutOfFocusGuys said:

Is this the worst PR statement ever?

This is a good reminder that large corporations are not evil so much as completely amoral. 

[InkaUtexas 25520]

3 hours ago, WhatTheBuck said:

There would be absolutely no reason to do that. Belarus simply has to make the allegation as an excuse for forcing the plane down then go through the phony act of looking for a bomb while they abduct the dissident. 

Agree, but KGB gonna GRU and someone needs to justify their rubles. 

 

[956 Worldwide 34444]

For something like this it's unlikely they would leave stuff to chance.  They would want their people on board the plane watching every move the guy made. Interestingly, in Belarus the secret police really is still the KGB, they never bothered to change the name.  That country is pretty much frozen in time (1983).

[956 Worldwide 34444]

1 hour ago, tx 3 putt said:

ive flown into Vilnius, fun little place 

Vilnius is great.  I did a short trip from Helsinki-Tallinn-Riga-Vilnius and I think Vilnius was my favorite, I could happily see myself living there a few years.  

[WhatTheBuck 28713]

1 hour ago, InkaUtexas said:

Agree, but KGB gonna GRU and someone needs to justify their rubles.

I don’t doubt that there were intelligence agents on the plane but I doubt that they ever participated in making claims to the pilots, crew, or passengers that there was a bomb on the plane. They’re more skilled than that. It couldn’t give them any advantage when a simple radio call would achieve the same objective.

[956 Worldwide 34444]

9 hours ago, Firemans4Horn said:

For fucks sake. Let’s just completely ignore the kidnapped passenger and his arrested girlfriend  

 

 

The EU Commissioner for Transport says "hold my protected geographical indicator-designated glass of white wine."

 

[staboner 4959]

2 hours ago, 956 Worldwide said:

Vilnius is great.  I did a short trip from Helsinki-Tallinn-Riga-Vilnius and I think Vilnius was my favorite, I could happily see myself living there a few years.  

just make sure you don't do any award winning journalisms between now and then

[InkaUtexas 25520]

7 hours ago, WhatTheBuck said:

I don’t doubt that there were intelligence agents on the plane but I doubt that they ever participated in making claims to the pilots, crew, or passengers that there was a bomb on the plane. They’re more skilled than that. It couldn’t give them any advantage when a simple radio call would achieve the same objective.

An observation team. Simple technique. No pilot would listen to a passenger, but there were going to be eyes on the target at all times. 

[kevwun 15653]

8 hours ago, 956 Worldwide said:

This is a good reminder that large corporations are not evil so much as completely amoral. 

Yeah, they don't care about the journalist, they just don't want to lose access to the country and it's air space.

[WhatTheBuck 28713]

22 minutes ago, InkaUtexas said:

An observation team. Simple technique. No pilot would listen to a passenger, but there were going to be eyes on the target at all times. 

Exactly. 

[Nice Guy Eddie 13414]

The PR is one thing, but I doubt that a commercial airline can ignore orders from a govt when they're flying over their airspace. Even forgetting the MIG-16 on your tail, wouldn't an airline pilot be required by their airline to follow instructions by air traffic control unless there is known danger to the passengers? And would the pilot be aware that the KGB is about to take 1 passenger off the plane?

Hopefully we hear soon from Western airlines in refusing to fly over Belarus.

[956 Worldwide 34444]

5 minutes ago, Nice Guy Eddie said:

The PR is one thing, but I doubt that a commercial airline can ignore orders from a govt when they're flying over their airspace. Even forgetting the MIG-16 on your tail, wouldn't an airline pilot be required by their airline to follow instructions by air traffic control unless there is known danger to the passengers? And would the pilot be aware that the KGB is about to take 1 passenger off the plane?

Hopefully we hear soon from Western airlines in refusing to fly over Belarus.

No, they cannot ignore ATC and absolutely the prudent thing with 150 souls on board is to follow the MiG-29 to ground. That’s why this is so outrageous, it really is just state air piracy and kidnapping of a civilian craft.

[Brisketexan 104628]

3 minutes ago, 956 Worldwide said:

No, they cannot ignore ATC and absolutely the prudent thing with 150 souls on board is to follow the MiG-29 to ground. That’s why this is so outrageous, it really is just state air piracy and kidnapping of a civilian craft.

It really is that simple.  The proper response is a complete air transportation shutdown to and from Belarus.  Do not allow commercial flights from there to land in your country, do not allow flights from your country to go to Belarus.  And do not allow flights to transit OVER Belarus.  Russia and perhaps some of its vassal states will still have flights, of course, but that may be about it.

[Mrs Whiggins 13049]

15 minutes ago, 956 Worldwide said:

That’s why this is so outrageous...

It is also a portent.

[Js1 85110]

39 minutes ago, Nice Guy Eddie said:

The PR is one thing, but I doubt that a commercial airline can ignore orders from a govt when they're flying over their airspace. Even forgetting the MIG-16 on your tail, wouldn't an airline pilot be required by their airline to follow instructions by air traffic control unless there is known danger to the passengers? And would the pilot be aware that the KGB is about to take 1 passenger off the plane?

Hopefully we hear soon from Western airlines in refusing to fly over Belarus.

Lufthansa and Austrian said “meh, business as usual”