Canada on Thursday announced new sanctions against 22 senior Belarus Defense Ministry officials for allowing the country “to serve as a launching pad for the Russian invasion.”
“Today’s announcement sends a clear message to President Putin’s accomplices,” Canadian Foreign Minister Mélanie Joly said in a statement.
“Those who support attacks on the sovereignty, territorial integrity and independence of Ukraine will be held accountable,” she added.
Ottawa accuses senior figures in Belarus, including air force leader Victor Soyko, of supporting the Russian attack on Ukraine.
The head of diplomacy also affirmed that the whole world is watching “the senseless violence that is taking place in Ukraine” and that Canada “does not hesitate [a] take no further action” against the Belarusian leadership.
This new salvo of sanctions comes two days after Washington announced new sanctions targeting the Belarusian President, Alexander Lukashenko, and his wife, as well as Russian persons and entity, for corruption and violation of human rights.
The Canadian government has already imposed sanctions in 2020 against the Belarusian president after the latter claimed a landslide victory in an election that the opposition deemed rigged.
More recently, Canada also imposed sanctions against President Lukashenko’s entourage.
This latest announcement brings to more than 500 the number of individuals and entities from Russia, Belarus and Ukraine sanctioned by Canada since the beginning of the Russian invasion of Ukrainian soil on February 24.