Ukraine urges partners to impose sanctions against Belarusian defense industry enterprises that assist Russia in fulfilling its state defense order, thereby contributing to the killing of Ukrainians. This statement was made by Acting Permanent Representative of Ukraine to International Organizations in Vienna, Viktoria Kuvshynnikova, during a session of the OSCE Permanent Council.
"For the production of drones and ballistic missiles, Russia needs numerous critical components, many of which are manufactured in other countries, without which Russian terror would be impossible. For instance, to attack Ukraine with about thirty drones, Russia requires around three thousand components from other countries. Since the fall of 2024, there have been numerous instances when Russia has used over a hundred drones in a single day," she said.
She added that this also highlights Russia's ability to circumvent restrictions and the scale of its cooperation with other authoritarian regimes.
"The very fact that Russia is still able to receive all the necessary dual-use materials and specific components for its military-industrial complex sends a clear signal: more sanctions are needed, not only against Russia and its economy and military-industrial complex but also against those countries that help Russia fulfill its state defense order and bypass restrictions. Belarus is one of those countries," the Ukrainian diplomat pointed out.
In this context, she referred to a recent investigation by the Belarusian NGO "BelPol," based in Poland, regarding the "mass production of hundreds of thousands of components for artillery shells by Belarusian industrial enterprises." A previous investigation by the organization focused on optical-mechanical parts and sights for various types of weapons, armored vehicles, and tanks.
"By selling military products to Russia, the Belarusian regime earns additional blood-stained profits. Meanwhile, Russia uses these supplies to kill more and more Ukrainians. At the same time, the Belarusian enterprises involved in fulfilling Russia's defense orders, for years, are mostly not subject to systemic international sanctions. We want to emphasize this fact almost a month before the grim anniversary of Russia's full-scale war against Ukraine and the upcoming 16th EU sanctions package, which is expected to be agreed upon soon," Kuvshynnikova concluded.
