The head of Belarus, Alexander Lukashenko, commented on the situation with the forced landing of a Ryanair passenger plane at the Minsk airport. He said this at a meeting with parliamentarians, members of the Constitutional Commission and representatives of state authorities.
"What should we do against the background of the cascade of "mining" from IP addresses in Poland?" he said.
According to him, the message about the plane being mined came from Switzerland.
"The plane was diverted near the NPP. What if suddenly? The security systems of the nuclear power plant were put on full alert, Lukashenko said. "I acted legally, protecting people, according to all international rules."
He also called the forcing of the airliner to land by the MiG-29 fighter a lie. "The task of a fighter jet is to provide communication and bring a passenger plane to land in case of a critical situation," he said.
At the same time, he called the detained journalist Roman Protasevich a "terrorist".
"There was a terrorist on the plane and it was known far beyond the borders of Belarus. Everyone will answer for their crimes. It's a matter of time. They wanted to kill us, but how many hundreds of thousands would die if we did not stand? Lukashenko said. "Whether or not there was a bomb, if I had been told that there was a terrorist on the plane, I would still immediately give the order to land the plane."
He also called the information about the detention of the crew and passengers at the airport by armed people "nonsense".
"The plane did not have time to land in Minsk, when written accusations from the West and bans on flights poured in. They "reacted" too quickly. What is this, if not a planned provocation?" Lukashenko declares.
He also commented on the ban on flights over Belarus. "I don't like flying through safe Belarus - fly in Ukraine, where 300 people were killed," Lukashenko said.
In addition, during his speech, Alexander Lukashenko called on the Western countries to end the sanctions pressure on Belarus.
"The West could not agree on the introduction of sanctions against us. Lithuania and Poland openly demanded sanctions. Poland in general behaves unbridled... Justice is on our side. Stop!... You need to be stopped today, otherwise it will be too late tomorrow... if you are preparing sanctions, don't forget to compensate our costs for legal anti-terrorist measures," he said. Lukashenko also said that "our society is ready to become an outpost of New Eurasia." "We must preserve our country and pass it on to our children in a normal state. Time chose us. We found ourselves on the front lines of a new, not cold, but ice war. And the state that does not succumb to hybrid pressure can survive. I appeal to the entire world community: there is no point in shaking Belarus!" he said. Lukashenko also stated that Belarus has become an experimental platform for a "throw to the East". "The goal is clear. We also know who benefits from demonizing Belarus. We are a small country, but we will respond adequately. There are similar examples in the world. And before you make sudden rash moves, remember that Belarus is the center of Europe. And if something breaks out here, it's another world war," he said.
He noted that Belarus does not count on victory in this war. "Smart people understand what is happening. And to those who are behind the provocation, I simply ask: do you not realize what catastrophic consequences this threatens? Are you accountable for your actions? After all, you know that justice is on our side and we will have to answer anyway. Stop!" Lukashenko urged.
