The USA introduced new sanctions against Belarus

The United States introduced new sanctions on Belarus on Wednesday, the Treasury Department announced. Eight individuals and five entities were sanctioned for allegedly financing the Belarusian government.

"This move is directed against several entities involved in the further repression of civil society for which the Belarusian regime is responsible, its complicity in the unjustified war of the Russian Federation in Ukraine and the enrichment of the repressive leader of the regime, Alexander Lukashenko," according to the statement of the secretariat, according to the Voice of America.

Lukashenko has repeatedly accused Western countries of trying to oust him from power after mass protests against his regime in 2020, which erupted after presidential elections in which - according to the opposition - the Belarusian leader won thanks to fraud. Lukashenko rejected those accusations and at the same time dealt harshly with his opponents.

Western sanctions were imposed on Belarus in previous years due to the alleged crackdown on protesters and election theft. Minsk also allowed Moscow to use Belarusian territory to send troops to Ukraine on February 24 last year.

Among the individuals and entities to which new punitive measures were introduced are three state-owned companies and the director and branch of one of those companies, the Secretariat for Finance announced.

Also sanctioned were four employees of a Belarusian government service, three individuals who enabled the evasion of sanctions in support of Lukashenko's government, and one aircraft that was identified as blocked property.

Among other things, sanctions were imposed on the state-owned Belarusian airline Belavia and the Belarusian steel plant, which is also sanctioned in the European Union.

A company associated with the steel plant, based in Florida, called "BEL-KAP-STEEL LLC", was also fined.

Belarus, headed by Lukashenko since 1994, is Russia's biggest ally among the other former Soviet republics. In May, Russia deployed tactical nuclear weapons on Belarusian territory.