Ukraine has applied a package of personal sanctions against the self-proclaimed President of Belarus Alexander Lukashenko.
President Volodymyr Zelensky reported this on February 18.
According to him, in the second half of 2025, the Russians deployed a system of repeaters for controlling strike drones in Belarus. This increased the Russian armyʼs ability to strike in the northern regions of Ukraine, from Kyiv region to Volyn.
Zelensky emphasized that the Russians would not have been able to carry out some of the strikes, in particular on energy and railway facilities, without such assistance from Belarus.
"More than three thousand Belarusian enterprises are put at the service of the Russian war and supply machinery, equipment and components that are classified as critically important. In particular, these are components for the production of missiles that terrorize our cities and villages," the Ukrainian president added.
In addition, the development of infrastructure for the deployment of medium-range “Oreshnik” missiles on the territory of Belarus is ongoing, which, according to Zelensky, is an obvious threat not only to Ukrainians, but also to all Europeans.
He noted that Lukashenko not only provided the territory of Belarus for the deployment of the “Oreshnik”. In the past and this year, the countryʼs enterprises have been supplying Russia with critical components, components, and the mechanical base for this weapon.
"Alexander Lukashenko has been exchanging the sovereignty of Belarus for the continuation of his personal power for quite some time, helping the Russians circumvent world sanctions for this aggression, actively justifying the Russian war, and now also increasing his own participation in the scaling and prolonging of the war. There will be special consequences for this," Zelensky stressed.
As stated in the presidential decree, the sanctions against Lukashenko, in particular, provide for:
- deprivation of state awards of Ukraine;
- a ban on entry into Ukraine;
- blocking of assets and prohibition on their use and disposal;
- complete cessation of trading operations;
- restriction or suspension of the transit of resources, flights and transportation through the territory of Ukraine;
- preventing the withdrawal of capital from Ukraine;
- suspension of the fulfillment of economic and financial obligations;
- cancellation or suspension of licenses and other permits;
- prohibition of participation in privatization and public procurement;
- a ban on the entry of military ships and aircraft;
- prohibition of the transfer of technology and intellectual property rights;
- termination of cultural, scientific and sports cooperation;
- prohibition of acquiring ownership of land plots.
The term of application is indefinite (some sanctions are for 10 years).
How Belarus is helping Russia in its war against Ukraine
Belarus does not take direct part in the war against Ukraine, but its authorities provided the countryʼs territory for the passage and deployment of Russian troops, and strikes against Ukraine were launched from the territory of Belarus.
The Russian “Oreshnik” missile system was also deployed on the territory of Belarus. This became known in December 2025. The Russians first struck Ukraine with this experimental ballistic missile in November 2024, hitting the Dnipro River.
At the end of 2025, Volodymyr Zelensky stated that Ukraine knows exactly where in Belarus “Oreshnik” will be deployed and is passing this information on to partners.
Later, Reuters, citing an intelligence source and two US researchers who studied satellite images from Planet Labs, wrote that Russia could have deployed its “Oreshnik” hypersonic ballistic missiles at a former air base in eastern Belarus. This is 5 km from the border with Russia and about 180 km from Ukraine.
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