UK sanctions Belarus for its role in Ukraine war

By Muhammad Mussa

LONDON (AA) - The British government imposed sanctions Tuesday against Belarus for its role in the Russian war on Ukraine, according to the Foreign Ministry.

The sanctions will target the Belarusian Chief of the General Staff and three other deputy defense ministers. Two military enterprises have also been sanctioned as part of the regime.

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“We are inflicting economic pain on Putin and those closest to him. We will not rest until Ukraine’s sovereignty and territorial integrity is restored,” Foreign Secretary Liz Truss said in a statement. “The Lukashenko regime actively aids and abets Russia’s illegal invasion and will be made to feel the economic consequences for its support for Putin,” Truss added.

The majority of those targeted are defense officials and senior military officers. State enterprises involved in the manufacturing of arms that are being used in the war have also been targeted.

The sanctions follow a series of previous penalties against Russia which have been described by the UK government as its most stringent.

The sanctions targeted banks, businesses, wealthy individuals, politicians and state officials.

Belarus has acted as an important launchpad for Russia’s all-encompassing war against Ukraine. Moscow has used Minsk’s southern border with Ukraine to gain access to routes leading to the capital, capturing the infamous Chernobyl nuclear power plant as well as the city of Chernihiv along the way.

The Belarusian ambassador was summoned Friday by the UK Minister for Europe James Cleverley in which Minsk’s role in the attacks against Kyiv was protested.