Ukraine has imposed sanctions on the leader of the neighbouring Belarus, Alexander Lukashenko.
President Volodymyr Zelensky said in a statement on Wednesday that the move was prompted by Belarus’ continued military assistance to Moscow.
“Ukraine imposed the sanctions, in particular, for the deployment in the second half of 2025 of a system of relay stations to control attack drones – this increased the Russian army’s capabilities to carry out strikes on the northern regions of our country,” he said.
This made certain attacks on energy and railway facilities possible, he argued. Zelensky added that more than 3,000 Belarusian companies are also active as suppliers for the Russian war economy.
Furthermore, Lukashenko not only authorized the deployment of the Russian medium-range Oreshnik missile in his country, but also supplied important components for it.
This missile jeopardizes the security of the Ukrainians and of Europe as a whole, Zelensky’s statement continued.
The sanctions package includes a travel ban and the freezing of any assets Lukashenko may hold in Ukraine. It is unclear whether the Belarusian leader has property in the country. There has been no immediate response from Minsk.
The sanctions come at a sensitive moment, as Kiev and Moscow have just concluded another round of US-mediated talks in Geneva aimed at ending the nearly four-year war.
In this context, the US has recently eased its sanctions against Belarus. In return, Lukashenko released dozens of political prisoners.
