President Volodymyr Zelenskyy has signed a decree enacting a decision of the National Security and Defense Council of Ukraine to impose sanctions on Belarusian enterprises for assisting Russia in its armed aggression against Ukraine, as well as on individuals close to Belarus’s self-proclaimed president, Aleksandr Lukashenko.
“This is a signal to many of our partners about where pressure should be applied to reduce the scale and intensity of this war. Russia has no goodwill; it must be forced into certain steps needed to reduce aggression, and let them later call these their “gestures of goodwill.” Belarus must not be drawn into this war. There must be no operations against other European countries. And this Russia’s war against Ukraine must end in a dignified peace,” the Head of State stressed.
The sanctions package includes 16 Belarusian nationals and 11 legal entities.
In particular, Ukraine has imposed sanctions on Belarusian enterprises that produce 122 mm and 152 mm artillery shells for Russian occupying forces. These include Olsa, the Minsk Plant “Termoplast,” and the Heavy Forging Plant, which manufacture components for shells. Sanctions have also been imposed on the Republican Unitary Production Enterprise “IK 9,” which produces packaging for shells, and on “NefteKhimDiagnostika,” where munitions are tested.
Restrictions have also been placed on the Vitebsk Electrical Instruments Plant, which supplies equipment for the repair and modernization of Russian armored vehicles, and on “Radiotekhnika,” which manufactures components for the occupiers’ military equipment.
In addition, Ukraine has imposed sanctions on a plant that repairs Russian aircraft, including those of the Tu, Yak, and Il families.
Among the individuals sanctioned is Viktar Shejman, a close associate of Aleksandr Lukashenko who has held senior state positions in Belarus for many years. He carries out assignments on behalf of the self-proclaimed president, conducts interstate negotiations, and maintains shadow business ties. He has been linked to the organization of “death squads” that targeted opposition politicians, activists, and public figures, and is one of the organizers of schemes to circumvent sanctions imposed by Ukraine and partner states against Russian and Belarusian companies. Viktar Shejman is under sanctions by the United States, the European Union, the United Kingdom, Switzerland, and Canada.
Sanctions have also been imposed on Viktar and Dzmitryj Lukashenko, the sons of the self-proclaimed Belarusian president. They are involved in exporting goods in circumvention of international sanctions, supplying dual-use items, and re-exporting goods through Belarusian territory.