Girlfriend of arrested Belarusian journalist was also detained after authorities forced the grounding of Ryanair flight

• The Russian girlfriend of Roman Protasevich was also detained in Minsk on Sunday following a grounded flight.
• Sofia Sapega's family confirmed her detainment on Monday, according to Reuters.
• A statement from Sapega's university said she had been detained on "groundless and made-up conditions."

The Russian girlfriend of Roman Protasevich, the Belarusian journalist and activist who was arrested after a plane flying from Athens, Greece, to Vilnius, Lithuania, was forced by the Belarusian government to divert to Minsk on Sunday, was also detained following the unexpected grounding.

Sofia Sapega, 23, was traveling with Protasevich and flying to Vilnius to defend her Master's thesis, according to a European Humanities University statement. She and Protasevich had been vacationing together in Greece, a university spokesperson told Reuters.

-Franak Viačorka (@franakviacorka) May 24, 2021

Sapega's family confirmed her detainment Monday, the spokesperson told the outlet.

Belarusian authorities on Sunday sent a fighter jet to divert a Ryanair plane, citing a bogus bomb threat. When the passenger plane was forced to land in Minsk, the capital of Belarus, police officers boarded the jet and arrested Protasevich, who has been a vocal opponent to Belarusian President Alexander Lukashenko's rule.

Passengers on the flight told The Daily Beast that as soon as Ryanair announced the diversion, Protasevich "immediately" opened the overhead compartment to collect his electronics, handing his laptop and phone over to Sapega.

But Protasevich and Sapega were both detained by the Administration of the Investigative Committee for the city of Minsk on what Sapega's university called "groundless and made-up conditions," in a statement following her arrest. It is not clear what charges Sapega was detained on.

The Russian Embassy in Minsk told The New York Times that Belarus had notified the consul of Sapega's detention.

Sapega's university said it is providing her immediate consular assistance and called on the international community and human rights defenders to assist in her release.

"Sofia's groupmates and faculty members tell that the student is well regarded due to her academic performance and reputation in EHU's community," the statement said.

Belarusian state media has reported that it was Lukashenko who gave the "unequivocal order" to ground the plane in Minsk. Flightradar.com data that shows the jet was closer to its destination in Lithuania than Minsk, Insider's Cheryl Teh reported.

The airline's CEO said Monday that Belarusian KGB agents were on board the Ryanair plane.

Lawyers looking to help Protasevich told The Times they believe he is being held in a jail in Minsk operated by the Belarusian intelligence service.

On Monday, Belarusian authorities posted a video of Protasevich, in which he said he was cooperating with authorities.

-Hanna Liubakova (@HannaLiubakova) May 24, 2021