On the eve of the world, he watched the real special operation of the Belarusian authorities-the Ryanair airline flying over the country was put on the ground, accompanied by a fighter, only then in order to remove from the side and arrest Roman Protasevich, the former head of the most popular Nexta media resource in Belarus. In his native country, he faces up to 15 years in prison, he himself fears even the death penalty - for the coordination of last year's protests.

In the world, they started talking about the sophisticated revenge of President Alexander Lukashenko, which is not stopped by either the world community or common sense. Meanwhile, the Russian authorities are in no hurry to condemn what is happening: the presidential press secretary Dmitry Peskov refused to comment on the incident, the foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov suggested not rushing with the assessment of the incident, but Lukashenko, as Kommersant writes, will meet with Vladimir Putin in Sochi. Russia is close to Belarus and also contrasts itself with the world community, so the question arises: are the Russian authorities ready to go to the same decisive action?

VTIMES asks experts.

Nikolai Petrov, Head of the Center for Political and Geographical Research:

- I think that there are fewer restrictions that act on the Russian government, and the answer to the question is whether they can go to the same thing as Lukashenko, of course, they can. It seems to me that the participation of Russian special services is what is happening in Belarus, there may be more than we know. And in the suppression of protests, and in everything else. What happened yesterday could have occurred in Russia - for the same reasons as in Lukashenko, in Russia they could easily land the plane.

They write that Roman Protasevich is facing the death penalty. Such a measure of punishment today is anachronism in a variety of meanings. The death penalty, I do not think that it can be considered there as a real scenario. The problem is not so much whether it is or not, but how repressive the system is. You can forever, or, like ours, for 25 years to plant in such conditions in which the death penalty as an option will not look like something super -horsing. However, we understand that the time released by Lukashenko’s regime is significantly less.

And yet, it is terrible that the power goes to anything, not being constrained by the reaction of the world community. Lukashenko already has nothing from the West, from the EU, he has nothing to lose. We are not dealing with the actions of power to prevent protests and social disasters, but with calculating revenge: power is able to get a person, he lives in Russia, Belarus or in the West. What we saw in relation to the Skripals in fact is not much different from the actions of the Lukashenko authorities.

Abbas Gallamov, political scientist:

- Did Lukashenko understand how the world community would react to the use of military aviation for peaceful purposes? I think yes. But after the events of last fall, from the point of view of world public opinion, the legitimacy is zero, and, obviously, he decided that seven troubles - one answer, will no longer be worse. He believes that his hands are completely untied, there is no sense in flirting with the West. In this logic it acts. Obviously, the West will now oppose Lukashenko more consolidated.

And for the Russian regime, such antics are a gift, because in comparison with Lukashenko, Putin begins to look more acceptable, which is for a Western opinion, for the Russian one. I do not exclude that the Kremlin, taking advantage of Lukashenko’s full dependence on Russian financial assistance, consciously pushes him to such actions, expanding the space for the maneuver of Putin himself. Say, look, Putin could also capture the planes like Lukashenko, but does not do it! There is a version that it was a joint operation of the FSB and the Belarusian KGB.

As for Protasevich, let the lawyers evaluate whether he is threatening the death penalty or not. If he suddenly dies in prison, the “execution” may not be legally designed.

Alexander Kynev, political scientist:

- What happened in Belarus is already beyond the line. Of course, our regime is also not a gift, but still I do not think that the Russian authorities could expect this, the complexity of the political systems of Russia and Belarus is different, in the political part of our authorities are more rational.

The Belarusian script has always been extremely primitive in the political sense. They did not even have attempts to create a party system, there was nothing at all - neither institutions nor essentials. There is practically no election in Belarus and elections, a non-partisan parliament, neither about local self-government, nor parties are talking about. The strategy was adopted that nothing of this is needed at all, because otherwise at least what power and can form. The Russian system is much more thoughtful and sophisticated, in comparison with Belarus, even wildly developed looks. And Lukashenko comes out sideways when such inadequate decisions are made as with the Ryanair aircraft.

I would call the reaction of the Russian authorities a situation of forced solidarity. There is an understanding that this is a backhill, but there is also the fact that we are allies with Belarus, and it must be maintained as much as possible. Not because someone seriously believes that it is useful. Notice, even many pro -government commentators have ambiguous reviews.

Boris Makarenko, President of the Center for Political Technology:

- The question is whether Lukashenko is able to calculate the severity of the sanctions that will follow his act. I will not be surprised if I am not capable. The dictator, which is in a state of decomposition of the regime, loses its connection with reality, and the desire to punish the opposition can overshadow the mind. Most likely, its assessment of the Western reaction is inadequate. We will wait for the reaction of the European Union and international air traffic organizations, but the fact that Lukashenko became finally impossible partner and negotiator for all of Europe is for sure. Russia is not worth comparing yourself with Belarus, because they will always talk to us, albeit in a different tone. Too big and important country.

"The matter is in prior revenge"