Those who wish Belarus badly want to "strangle" the country and use it as a test site for future attacks on Russia, Belarus President Alexander Lukashenko said in his first statement after a plane carrying a regime critic on board was forced to land in Minsk on Sunday.
The plane was on its way to Lithuania and regime critic Roman Protasevich was arrested and taken away.
The action has caused an international outcry, but those who criticize Belarus have "crossed the border" and abandoned common sense, says Lukashenko.
Bomb threat from Switzerland
The Belarusian government has said the plane was forced down due to a bomb threat, which has not been confirmed by independent sources.
According to Lukashenko, the threat came from Switzerland, and Belarus' actions followed international law to protect people who could have been harmed.
Ryanair, which owns the plane, says no dangerous object was found on board.
Pratasevich, 26, has co-founded the Telegram channel Nexta, which, among other things, broadcasts and disseminates information about protests against the regime.
He has lived in exile for two years - to avoid being arrested and sentenced to prison in Belarus.
On Wednesday, the European Union's Aviation Safety Agency, EASA, called on airlines to avoid the airspace over Belarus for safety reasons.