In late June 2021, the European Union (EU) and the United Kingdom (UK) imposed restrictions on Belarus following the forced landing of an intra-EU Ryanair flight in Minsk, Belarus, on May 23, 2021.

The EU Council introduced new restrictive measures against the Belarusian regime by adopting Council Regulation (EU) 2021/1030 of 24 June 2021. The sectoral sanctions target a broad range of industries, including those related to internet and telephone communications, dual-use goods and technology for military use, tobacco, petroleum and potassium chloride products, and financial services. These new measures also restrict the access to EU capital markets by the Belarusian Government and Belarusian state-owned financial institutions and entities, prohibit the provision of insurance and reinsurance to the Belarusian Government and Belarusian public bodies and agencies, and prohibit certain transactions by the European Investment Bank related to projects in the public sector. The EU press release can be found here.

In the UK, the British government announced adding several senior Belarusian officials and entities, including an exporter of oil products, to its sanctions list. The Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office updated the UK Sanctions List on its website at GOV.UK. This list provides details of those designated under regulations made under the Sanctions Act. Further details on the UK action can be found here.