US imposes new sanctions against Belarus

The U.S. Treasury Department has introduced sanctions on three Belarusian legal entities, nine individuals, and dictator Alexander Lukashenko's luxury plane.

The restrictions were imposed on the state-owned Belarusian Automobile Plant (BelAZ), one of the world's biggest producers of large trucks, Minsk Automobile Plant (MAZ), which the department called "a significant source of revenue for the Lukashenko regime," and the country's Central Election Commission (CEC).

"The CEC played a role in barring opposition candidates (in Belarus' fraudulent August 2020 presidential election), denying access to poll observers, and certifying inaccurate vote tallies," reads the report.

Among the individuals added to the sanctioned list are the director of BelAZ, Sergei Nikiforovich, the head of MAZ, Valery Ivankovich, and seven members of the Central Election Commission.

The U.S. also sanctioned a luxury airliner used by Lukashenko for his personal trips.

"The authoritarian Lukashenko regime relies on state-owned enterprises and key officials to generate substantial revenue that enables oppressive acts against the Belarusian people," said U.S. Under Secretary of the Treasury for Terrorism and Financial Intelligence Brian Nelson. "We remain committed to imposing costs on the Lukashenko regime for its suppression of democracy and support for Putin's war of choice."

Although Belarus has not officially declared war on Ukraine, Russian forces have been given access to Belarusian territory to launch attacks on Ukraine, including the failed assault on Kyiv in February 2022.

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The Kyiv Independent