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Ukraine Slaps Personal Sanctions on Belarusian Leader Alexander Lukashenko Over War Support

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Photo of Vlad Litnarovych
Vlad Litnarovych
News Writer
Russia’s leader Vladimir Putin (R) and Belarus' President Alexander Lukashenko (L) in the village of Zaitsevo, Leningrad region, on January 27, 2024, as part of events marking the 80th anniversary of the liberation of Leningrad. (Source: Getty Images)
Russia’s leader Vladimir Putin (R) and Belarus' President Alexander Lukashenko (L) in the village of Zaitsevo, Leningrad region, on January 27, 2024, as part of events marking the 80th anniversary of the liberation of Leningrad. (Source: Getty Images)

Ukraine has introduced a package of personal sanctions against Belarusian leader Alexander Lukashenko, President Volodymyr Zelenskyy announced on February 18.

The corresponding decree was published on the website of the Ukrainian presidential office.

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In his statement, Zelenskyy sharply criticized Lukashenko’s role in supporting Moscow’s war effort.

“Alexander Lukashenko has long been trading Belarus’s sovereignty for the continuation of his personal power, helping Russians circumvent global sanctions for this aggression, actively justifying Russia’s war, and now further increasing his own participation in scaling and prolonging the war. There will be special consequences for this,” Zelenskyy said.

The Ukrainian president also recalled that in 2025 Russian forces deployed relay systems in Belarus to control strike drones, expanding their ability to attack northern regions of Ukraine.

Without that assistance, Zelenskyy noted, the number of Russian strikes on energy infrastructure and railways in those regions would likely have been lower.

He added that more than 3,000 Belarusian enterprises have effectively been placed “in service of Russia’s war,” supplying critical equipment, machinery, and components—including items used in missile production.

Zelenskyy further warned about the continued construction of infrastructure in Belarus intended to host medium-range missile systems known as Oreshnik, calling it “an obvious threat not only to Ukrainians, but to all Europeans.”

According to the presidential decree, Lukashenko will face the indefinite revocation of Ukrainian state awards and honors.

Additional sanctions, set to remain in force for 10 years, include:

  • asset and capital freezes;

  • full suspension of trade and transit operations;

  • termination of financial obligations and permits;

  • restrictions on participation in privatization and public procurement;

  • limits on certain property and corporate transactions;

  • suspension of international cooperation across multiple sectors;

  • visa and property restrictions, among other measures.

Earlier, reports emerged that a confidential state-run initiative was being implemented in Belarus to establish a full-scale production line for artillery and rocket ammunition, a project that could directly support the Russian army in its war against Ukraine.

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