Roman Protasevich and Sofya Sapega, removed from the Ryanair plane, were transferred to house arrest

The former editor-in-chief of the opposition Telegram channel NEXTA, Roman Protasevich, and the Russian woman Sofya Sapega, who was detained with him, were placed under house arrest, their parents told the BBC Russian Service.

The charges against Sapieha and Protasevich have not been dropped, says the journalist's father, Dmitry Protasevich: “They changed the preventive measure, this is an improvement in their living conditions. Otherwise, what will happen next is unknown.” Lawyers and authorities, he said, have so far not told the family anything.

The Russian embassy confirmed the transfer of Sofya Sapieha under house arrest, specifying that now "the issue of the possibility of an early visit by the Russian consul to her is being decided." According to Sapieha's stepfather, she lives alone in a rented apartment in Minsk. The lawyer of the Russian woman, Anton Gashinsky , said that on the eve of Sapega, she met with her parents in a restaurant and was “not alone.” He did not rule out that Protasevich could be with her.

Dmitry Protasevich said that his son is in another rented apartment. The condition and status of Roman Protasevich is unknown.

• A Ryanair plane flying from Athens to Vilnius on May 23 made an emergency landing in Minsk under the pretext of a “mining report”, which was subsequently not confirmed . Roman Protasevich, co-founder of the telegram channel NEXTA, was among the passengers on the plane. He was detained at the Minsk airport immediately after landing. Together with Protasevich, his girlfriend Sofya Sapega was also detained .
• In Belarus, Protasevich is accused of committing deliberate actions aimed at inciting social hatred on the basis of professional affiliation, organizing mass riots, as well as organizing group actions that grossly violate public order. The activist can face up to 15 years in prison. In addition, he and another NEXTA creator, Stepan Putilo, are listed as terrorists.

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The day before, the European Union officially published new sanctions against Minsk. Their impact on the economy and politics of Belarus, depending on the coverage of The Bell, was assessed here .