Why did Belarus force Ryanair flight FR4978 to land in Minsk?

In May 2021, the Belarusian government under President Alexander Lukashenko dispatched a fighter jet to intercept Ryanair flight FR4978 and force it to land in Minsk. The primary purpose of this action was to allow security forces to board the aircraft and arrest the opposition journalist Roman Protasevich.21

This event drew widespread international condemnation, with Western leaders characterizing the forced diversion as an act of air piracy. In response to the criticism, Lukashenko dismissed the allegations and claimed, without providing evidence, that Belarus was the target of a Western "hybrid warfare" campaign.21