UPDATE - EU adopts sanction against Belarus over ‘involvement in Russia’s aggression against Ukraine’

By Agnes Szucs

BRUSSELS (AA) - The European Union adopted sanctions Wednesday against Belarus for undermining or threatening Ukraine’s territorial integrity and sovereignty.

The EU imposed asset freeze sanctions and a travel ban on 22 high-ranking Belarusian military officials, the Council of the European Union said in a statement.

"Belarus is supporting the Russian military aggression against Ukraine - inter alia - by allowing Russia to fire ballistic missiles from the Belarusian territory, enabling transportation of Russian military personnel and heavy weapons … allowing Russian military aircraft to fly over Belarusian airspace into Ukraine, providing refuelling points,” it said.

The EU also restricted the importation of goods used for the production or manufacturing of mineral fuels, bituminous substances, tobacco, potash, wood, cement, iron and steel products and rubber products and the export of technology that can be used for military purposes.

The decision takes the number of individuals sanctioned to 702 and entities to 53 for violating Ukraine’s sovereignty.

The new sanctions also add to restrictive measures that the bloc imposed against Belarus for human rights violations related to a crackdown on protests against alleged rigged elections in August 2020.

On Tuesday, the European Parliament called on EU member states to exclude Belarus from the SWIFT international banking system after the bloc adopted similar measures on certain Russian banks.

Since Russia's war on Ukraine began last Thursday, it has been met by outrage from the international community, with the EU, UK, and US implementing a range of economic sanctions on Russia.

At least 142 civilians, including 13 children, have been killed and 408 others, including 26 children, injured in Ukraine, according to UN figures.

More than 874,000 people have fled Ukraine to neighboring countries, the UN Refugee Agency said on Wednesday.

The EU adopted three sanctions packages last week against Russia, targeting among others Russian President Vladimir Putin, Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov, the Russian banking sector and key state-owned companies.