Ukraine's sanctions against Belarus's ruler, Aliaksandr Lukashenka, are only the beginning, and work is underway to extend sanctions to his inner circle, says President Volodymyr Zelenskyy. The restrictions have been imposed on the county for locating drone relays, allowing Russia to correct and coordinate attacks on Ukraine, Dzerkalo reports.
Belarus now clearly knows what is happening on its territory. These relays are a new technology that helps target Ukrainian people and energy infrastructure, "because it is precisely through these relays that targeting corrections occur,” he explains.
Russian drones fly not only through Belarus but with its technological support
The Ukrainian leader emphasizes that drones travel not only through Belarus but also with the country's technological support.
“We ensured that three or four of them no longer exist. We had to do this because Russia is using these drones, but not only through Belarus,” Zelenskyy says.
Zelenskyy notes that Belarus's next step in aiding Russia is preparing a site for deploying the “Oreshnik” system on Belarusian territory.
“This is all about new steps, not the old ones that didn’t depend on Lukashenka. Now it definitely depends on him, and Belarusians must understand all the risks,” he adds.
Extending sanctions to Lukashenka’s circle and his sons
“Sanctions against Lukashenka are the first step. We will expand this and are now working on the legal basis to continue the sanctions policy. It will affect not only Lukashenka but also his inner circle and his sons,” Zelenskyy stresses.
Monitoring military assistance and collecting evidence of crimes
Zelenskyy promises to monitor all military assistance coming from Belarus.
“There is evidence of this. It is all documented—on maps and in videos —showing how Shahed drones enter via Belarusian relays. After that, strikes hit us, and civilians are killed. For us, this is a crime, and we will pursue the legal accountability of these actions,” he concludes.
Earlier, the reports said that Belarus’s KGB special unit “Alpha” somehow obtained Ukrainian RK-3 “Korsar” anti-tank missiles.
Ukraine has never exported these systems, raising serious questions about the involvement of Belarusian security services in Russia's war.
