“He flies above the protesters, swears at them and gets out brandishing a Kalashnikov rifle. This is what’s coming to you”
Ursula Von der Leyen called it a "state hijacking", President Biden condemned it and Ryanair called it "aviation piracy". Belarus's decision to divert a plane carrying the opposition leader Roman Protesavich and his girlfriend Sofia Sapega and force it to land in Minsk has been condemned around the world. But who is the president Alexander Lukashenko and is this the death rattle from Europe's last dictator or can he hold onto power. Andrew Wilson has written the definitive book on Lukashenko and in this podcast he talks to Dion Fanning about his rise and how his handling of Covid led to the mobilisation of a new opposition.
