Ryanair Flight 4978 was en route from Athens to Vilnius when it was diverted to Minsk, Belarus, on a Saturday in May. The Belarusian government claimed there was a bomb threat aboard the flight. However, it was later revealed that the primary intention of the authorities was to apprehend Roman Protasevich, a prominent dissident journalist and co-founder of the Telegram channel NEXTA, which has been critical of Belarusian President Alexander Lukashenko's regime. The flight was forcibly rerouted approximately 30 minutes before it was scheduled to land in Vilnius. The actions taken by Belarusian air traffic controllers involved diverting the civilian aircraft, which was carrying 171 passengers, thereby causing an international outcry immediately following the event.

Upon landing in Minsk, Belarusian police took Protasevich and his girlfriend, Sofia Sapega, into custody. This prompted an immediate and severe backlash from the international community, with numerous governments calling the incident a hijacking. In response to the diversion and arrests, several countries, including members of the European Union and the United States, initiated sanctions against Belarus and called for investigations into the incident, citing concerns for aviation safety and human rights violations. The situation illustrated the lengths to which the Belarusian government would go to silence dissent and maintain control.

In the aftermath, the event ignited debates on air travel security and the potential for governments to exploit civilian aviation for political purposes. Belarus faced widespread condemnation, impacting its diplomatic relations and driving an increased focus on the human rights situation within the country. The incident remains a significant marker of the escalating confrontation between authoritarian regimes and democratic values, underpinning the global discourse surrounding freedom of expression and political repression.