LONDON — The U.K. has announced a first tranche of sanctions against Belarus over its support for Russia’s invasion of Ukraine.
The government has sanctioned Victor Gulevich, Belarusian chief of the general staff and first deputy minister of defense, together with other deputy defense ministers, and two military enterprises — an aircraft repair plant and a military semi-conductor manufacturer.
Gulevich is responsible for directing the actions of the Belarusian armed forces, including joint military exercises with Russia, and consented to the deployment of Russian troops along the Belarusian border with Ukraine, according to the U.K.’s Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office.
The other sanctioned individuals are Andrei Burdyko, deputy minister of defense for logistics and chief of logistics of the Belarusian Armed Forces; Sergei Simonenko, deputy minister of defense for armament and chief of armament of the Belarusian Armed Forces; and Andrey Zhuk, deputy minister of defense.
The move comes on the same day that Ukraine’s parliament claimed Belarusian troops were on Ukrainian soil, although the U.S. said later in the day it had “no indication” the claim was correct.
“The Lukashenko regime actively aids and abets Russia’s illegal invasion and will be made to feel the economic consequences for its support for Putin,” British Foreign Secretary Liz Truss said.
The U.K. had previously stated its aim is to extend its entire sanctions package against Russia to Belarus.