The US added MAZ, BelAZ and Lukashenko planes to the sanctions lists

The US Treasury Department’s Office of Foreign Assets Control (OFAC) has extended the list of sanctions against Belarusian companies and individuals. According to the ministry’s statement, BieAZ and Minsk Automobile Works (MAZ), members of the Central Executive Committee of Belarus, as well as the plane of the country’s president, Alexander Lukashenko, were subject to restrictions.

The new restrictions are a continuation of the sanctions imposed in response to the persecution of civil activists and opposition politicians, which began after the presidential election in August 2020. At the same time, Washington declared its readiness to hold Minsk accountable for its complicity in the Russian invasion of Ukraine.

“Lukashenka’s authoritarian regime relies on state-owned enterprises and key officials to generate significant revenues that allow it to carry out repression against the Belarusian people. We remain committed to holding the Lukashenko regime accountable for suppressing democracy and supporting Putin’s war,” said Treasury Deputy Secretary for Counter Terrorism and Financial Intelligence Brian Nelson.

The report notes that previous sanctions against BelAZ and MAZ were imposed by the European Union and Canada. Sanctions were also imposed on the president of Belaz, Sergei Nikiforovich, and the head of MAZ, Valery Ivankovich.

The list of “blocked ownership” includes a Boeing 737 plane, which is driven by Belarusian President Alexander Lukashenko.

“EW-001PA is a Boeing 737 owned by the government of Belarus and used as a presidential plane by US-sanctioned Belarusian leader Alexander Lukashenko,” the agency said in a statement. According to Washington, the plane is used by Lukashenko himself, his family members and close associates for foreign trips.