Belarus airline refusal ‘state-sanctioned hijacking’

Russia has thrown its support behind Belarus, refusing entry to two European airlines because they rerouted their flight paths to avoid flying over Belarus on the way to Moscow.

This is the first move by Russian authorities since the diplomatic spat between Belarus and many other western nations began.

It all follows Belarussian authorities forcing a Ryanair jet to land in Minsk, before detaining and arresting an anti-government journalist on board.

The European Union has condemned the actions, calling it “a state-sanctioned hijacking”

Since then, many airlines have since avoided Belarusian airspace.

The EU has also banned Belarusian airlines from flying over its territories and warns there are many more sanctions to come.