Canada announced sanctions on 22 senior officials of Belarus’ department of defence on Thursday for supporting the Russian invasion of Ukraine.
The latest sanctions target members of Belarusian President Alexander Lukashenko’s regime who have been in lockstep with Russian President Vladimir Putin.
“Today’s announcement sends a clear message to President Putin’s accomplices: those who support violations of Ukraine’s sovereignty, territorial integrity and independence will be held accountable,” reads a press release from the Ministry of Foreign Affairs.
Since Russia invaded Ukraine, the ministry said they have sanctioned more than 500 people and entities from Russia, Ukraine and Belarus. Canada has also imposed a 35-per cent tariff on goods from Russia and Belarus.
The most recent sanctions are a measure to put pressure on Russian allies like Belarus for supporting Putin’s attack, according to the press release.
“The world is horrified to witness the senseless violence occurring in Ukraine. Just as Canada is imposing severe sanctions on the Russian regime, Belarusian leadership must also be held accountable for enabling and supporting Vladimir Putin’s unprovoked attacks,” said Foreign Affairs Minister Melanie Joly.
The latest sanctions follow Wednesday’s announcement that Belarusian planes would be banned from entering Canadian airspace
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Federal transportation minister Omar Alghabra tweeted that Ottawa was targeting the Russian ally for its response to the situation unfolding in Eastern Europe.
“We are prohibiting Belarusian aircraft from entering Canadian airspace in response to their support for Russia’s unprovoked aggression in Ukraine,” he said.
The ministry added they will continue to monitor the situation unfolding in Ukraine and work with international partners. Canada’s sanctions comes a day after the U.S. imposed their own sanctions directly targeting Lukashenko.
“Today’s designations demonstrate the United States will continue to impose concrete and significant consequences for those who engage in corruption or are connected to gross violations of human rights,” said Office of Foreign Assets Control Director Andrea Gacki.
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While Lukashenko was not directly named in Canada’s sanctions, Joly said they will continue to assess the situation and will add further sanctions as needed.
“Canada implores Alexander Lukashenko to end his support for the Russian invasion. We will not hesitate to take further action. The world is watching,” she said.
On Tuesday, Canada announced it is imposing new sanctions on 15 Russian officials who it says helped Russian President Vladimir Putin invade Ukraine.
The announcement came less than two hours before Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy was set to speak to the Canadian House of Commons about the ongoing war.
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