Who. Sofia Sapega (Vladivostok, Russia, 1998) moved to Belarus at the age of eight and studied Law in Lithuania. She later worked on the Belsat channel, which broadcasts in Belarusian from Poland.
What. In 2020 she began dating Belarusian journalist and dissident Roman Protasevich. In 2021, when they were returning from a vacation in Greece, the plane in which they were flying to Vilnius was forced to land in Minsk by the Belarusian authorities. Both were arrested and sentenced. After two years of captivity, she has been pardoned.
Why. The Russian authorities have interceded on her behalf. Like Protasevich, Sapega has thanked Lukashenko for letting her go.
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