BRUSSELS (AP) — Belarus opposition leader Sviatlana Tsikhanouskaya says President Alexander Lukashenko may have miscalculated last month by diverting a Ryanair passenger jet to Minsk, where a dissident journalist aboard was arrested. In an interview with The Associated Press, the exiled novice politician says the incident has galvanized the West against Lukashenko, who had “never crossed this red line before.” The EU, the U.S., Britain and Canada have imposed sanctions on Lukashenko’s associates. Speaking two days before a trial begins in Belarus for her imprisoned husband, she says the crisis in the country is deepening since the disputed election in August 2020 kept Lukashenko in power. She still hopes for new elections in the fall.
