Ukraine sanctions Belarus’ Lukashenka, saying he will face ‘special consequences’

In 2022, Moscow used Belarus as a launchpad for its attack and has been trying to drag Minsk further into its war since.

Ukraine has imposed sanctions against Belarus President Aliaksandr Lukashenka, Volodymyr Zelenskyy announced on Wednesday, saying Kyiv will “significantly intensify countermeasures against all forms of his assistance in the killing of Ukrainians”.The Ukrainian president explained that the new measures reflect Lukashenka’s bigger involvement in Russia’s war against Ukraine.According to Zelenskyy, over the second half of 2025 Russia deployed on the territory of Belarus “a system of relay stations to control attack drones, which increased the Russian army’s capabilities to carry out strikes on our northern regions – from the Kyiv region to Volyn.”This had a significant impact on Russia’s intensified aerial attacks against Ukraine, Zelenskyy said.“The Russians would not have been able to carry out some of the attacks, particularly on energy facilities and railways in our regions, without such assistance from Belarus," he added.Belarusian opposition leader Sviatlana Tsikhanouskaya told Euronews that Kyiv’s announcement is “principled and timely,” and thanked Zelenskyy for sanctioning Lukashenka.“Lukashenka is not a legitimate — he seized power and survives only thanks to repression and Moscow’s support”, Tsikhanouskaya told Euronews.According to Tsikhanouskaya, Lukashenka “actively assists Russia’s war against Ukraine today” by providing territory, infrastructure, military production, and “now even support for missile and drone systems.”“These sanctions are targeted against a dictator who has turned our country into a military platform for Russian aggression," she said."This is also a clear message to those around him: complicity has consequences. Impunity only fuels dictators. Accountability strengthens security in the region.”Lukashenka has not reacted to Kyiv's decision at this time.Russia’s military platformRussia has been using Belarusian territory since the very beginning of its full-scale invasion of Ukraine in early 2022, but despite all Moscow’s efforts to fully drag Minsk into the all-out war, Belarus did not fully get involved.Zelenskyy said the situation has been changing significantly, with more than 3,000 Belarusian enterprises now supplying Russia with machinery, equipment and components categorised as critically important, including components for the production of missiles Russia uses in its daily strikes against Ukraine.“Infrastructure is also being developed to deploy intermediate-range missiles – Oreshnik – on the territory of Belarus, which is an obvious threat not only to Ukrainians but to all Europeans,” the Ukrainian president said.Tsikhanouskaya told Euronews that this is a signal Ukraine is “changing its policy towards Belarus”.“Ukraine doesn’t see Lukashenka as president, and works with democratic forces. Ukraine sees Lukashenka as the threat”, Tsikhanouskaya stated.“Ukraine and president Zelenskyy now is not just Ukraine’s leader, he is regional leader. And he can have a strong influence on Belarus too,” she added.Announcing the sanctions, Zelenskyy said that the Belarus' strongman president "has long been trading Belarus’s sovereignty for the continuation of his personal power”.Lukashenka has been “helping the Russians circumvent global sanctions over this aggression, actively justifying Russia’s war, and now further increasing his own participation in scaling up and prolonging the war,” according to Zelenskyy.“There will be special consequences for this."Can Moscow fully bring Belarus into its war now?Lukashenka, who has ruled Belarus for more than 30 years and has relied on Russian subsidies and support, allowed Russia to use his country’s territory to send troops into Ukraine in February 2022 for the attack on northern Ukraine and the capital Kyiv.Tsikhanouskaya told Euronews that four years later, Belarus is “deeply involved — but not through Belarusian soldiers on the battlefield.”“The regime (in Minsk) provides territory, logistics, industry, training grounds, and infrastructure for Russian forces," she said.Tsikhanouskaya admitted that Russia would not give up on its attempts and “will continue to pressure Minsk ... But Belarus remains one of the weakest links in Russia’s regional architecture”.She explained that sending Belarusian troops directly into Ukraine would be extremely risky for Lukashenka.“Belarusian society is overwhelmingly against the war. The army’s loyalty in such a scenario is not guaranteed. Lukashenka understands that direct participation could destabilize his own regime.”She also warned that it is not only a war against Ukraine, which Belarus is assisting Russia in. Lukashenka can also help Russia attack Europe.“Russia can use Belarus as a platform for pressure or even aggression against Europe”, Tsikhanouskaya said, explaining that “Under Lukashenka, Belarus has become deeply integrated into Russia’s war machine”.“Russian troops train there. Joint military infrastructure is being modernised," she said."Russia has deployed nuclear weapons in Belarus and is building infrastructure for systems like the Oreshnik missile. This creates direct threats not only to Ukraine, but also to Poland, the Baltic states, and wider Europe. It shortens warning times and increases escalation risks.”Belarus is also being actively used for hybrid attacks, Tsikhanouskaya said.“Migration pressure on EU borders, intelligence operations, disinformation, airspace provocations. These actions may stay below the threshold of open war, but they test Europe’s unity and response.”“Belarus today is a key element of Russia’s military architecture in Europe. But this is the result of Lukashenka’s political dependence — not the will of the Belarusian people.”Speaking to Euronews, she insisted that it is important to differentiate the Lukashenka regime from the people of Belarus, as demonstrated by Ukraine’s sanctions.“I am grateful that Ukraine clearly distinguishes between the regime and the Belarusian people. And that distinction is extremely important for our future relations”, Tsikhanouskaya pointed out.“I am sure, that Ukraine will never forget, and will never forgive Lukashenka’s crimes. It’s in Ukraine’s interest that Belarus becomes democratic and independent from Russia country.”