Ukraine imposes sanctions on Alexander Lukashenko

Read also: Belarus poses a constant threat to Ukraine under Lukashenko: Interview with Belarusian opposition leader Tsikhanouskaya

"Today Ukraine applied a package of sanctions against Alexander Lukashenko, and we will significantly intensify countermeasures against all forms of his assistance in the killing of Ukrainians. We will work with partners so that this has a global effect," Zelenskyy says.

He recalls that in the second half of 2025, the Russians deployed a system of repeaters for controlling strike drones on the territory of Belarus, which increased the Russian army's ability to strike the northern regions of Ukraine from Kyiv to Volyn.

The President of Ukraine notes that the Russians would not have been able to carry out some of the strikes, particularly on energy facilities and railways in the eastern regions, without such assistance from Belarus.

Over 3,000 Belarusian enterprises are serving the Russian war effort and supplying equipment, machinery, and components that are classified as critically important. In particular, these include components for the production of missiles that terrorize Ukrainian cities and villages.

Zelenskyy also stresses that the infrastructure for the deployment of medium-range missiles, Oreshnik, is currently being developed on the territory of Belarus, which is an obvious threat not only to Ukrainians but also to all Europeans.

In addition, Lukashenko has not only provided Belarusian territory for Oreshnik. Last year, Belarusian companies supplied Russia with critical components and mechanical bases for these weapons. This continues in 2026.

"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 emphasizes.

Sanctions against Lukashenko include:

• deprivation of Ukrainian state awards and other forms of recognition;
• blocking of assets - temporary deprivation of the right to use and dispose of assets belonging to a natural or legal person, as well as assets in respect of which such a person may directly or indirectly (through other natural or legal persons) perform actions identical in meaning to the exercise of the right to dispose of them;
• restriction of trade operations (complete cessation);
• restriction, partial or complete cessation of transit of resources, flights, and transportation through the territory of Ukraine (complete cessation);
• prevention of capital withdrawal from Ukraine;
• suspension of economic and financial obligations;
• termination or suspension of licenses and other permits, the receipt (availability) of which is a condition for carrying out a certain type of activity, in particular, termination or suspension of special permits for subsoil use;
• prohibition of participation in privatization, lease of state property by residents of a foreign state, and persons who are directly or indirectly controlled by residents of a foreign state or act in their interests;
• prohibition of public and defense procurement of goods, works, and services from legal entities that are residents of a foreign state of state ownership and legal entities whose share capital is owned by a foreign state, as well as public and defense procurement from other business entities that sell goods, works, and services originating from a foreign state to which sanctions are applied in accordance with this Law;
• prohibition or restriction of entry of foreign non-military vessels and military ships into the territorial sea of Ukraine, its internal waters, ports, and aircraft into the airspace of Ukraine or landing on the territory of Ukraine (complete prohibition);
• a complete or partial ban on transactions involving securities issued by persons subject to sanctions under this Law (complete ban);
• prohibition on increasing the authorized capital of business entities and enterprises in which a foreign state resident, a foreign state, or a legal entity in which a non-resident or a foreign state is a participant owns 10 percent or more of the authorized capital or has influence over the management of the legal entity or its activities;
• termination of trade agreements, joint projects, and industrial programs in certain areas, in particular in the field of security and defense;
• prohibition on the transfer of technologies and intellectual property rights;
• termination of cultural exchanges, scientific cooperation, educational and sports contacts, and entertainment programs with foreign states and foreign legal entities;
• refusal to issue and cancellation of visas to residents of foreign states, application of other restrictions on entry into the territory of Ukraine;
• prohibition on the acquisition of land plots.

Belarus assists Russia in war against Ukraine

Belarus continues to participate indirectly in Russia's war against Ukraine, serving as a logistical base for the Russian army.

The country has mobilized its defense industry to repair equipment damaged in combat. As noted by the US Institute for the Study of War, Belarusian industry is geared toward a protracted military conflict.

Earlier, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy emphasized that Russia was using Belarusian territory to attack Ukraine and put pressure on European countries. In particular, Shahed kamikaze drones are launched from Belarus and strikes are coordinated from there.

Also, in December 2023, Alexander Lukashenko personally met with children deported by Russia from the occupied territories of Ukraine.

Two cases have been filed against Lukashenko in the International Criminal Court, and an investigation is ongoing.

Read the article by RBC-Ukraine to find out why Belarus became Russia's ally, how it is helping in the aggressive war against Ukraine, and what is behind Lukashenko's peace initiatives.

Deployment of Oreshnik in Belarus

Earlier, self-proclaimed Belarusian President Alexander Lukashenko said that the Oreshnik missile system had already been put on combat duty in the country.

According to him, tactical nuclear weapons are already deployed in Belarus, and now the arsenal is being supplemented with a new missile system, with Minsk potentially receiving up to ten such systems from Russia.

According to preliminary estimates, Oreshnik may be a modification of the RS-26 Rubezh missile, whose flight range, according to unofficial data, is about 5,500 kilometers, but there is little information about this system in open sources.

Later, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy said that Ukraine knew the location of the new Russian Oreshnik missile in Belarus and that this info has been shared with international partners.

At the same time, the media recently reported that active deployment of a military base had been observed on the territory of the former Krychev-6 military airfield in Belarus. New satellite images show equipment that may belong to the Oreshnik missile complex.