The US Treasury announced sanctions against Belarus. It is noted that a number of restrictive measures will affect two large state-owned banks.
“As part of a serious and large-scale U.S. response to Russia’s further invasion of Ukraine, the U.S. Treasury Department is imposing sanctions on Belarusian entities in connection with Belarus’ support and assistance to this invasion,” the U.S. Treasury Department said in a statement.
The imposed restrictions affect two large state-owned Belarusian banks, which, according to Washington, are among the most important. In particular, Belinvestbank and Dabrabyt Bank fell under the sanctions. In addition, 24 individuals in Belarus were subject to restrictions.
Treasury sanctions usually mean freezing assets in US jurisdiction and a ban on transactions for US individuals and legal entities.
On the same day, Prime Minister Boris Johnson announced that Britain and its allies are imposing “large-scale sanctions” against Russia and Belarus in connection with a special operation of the Russian Federation in the Donbass. Thus, Johnson indicated that the United Kingdom intends to freeze the assets of all major banks.
Earlier in the day, the West said it would limit Russia’s ability to operate in hard currency. US President Joe Biden, following a meeting with the leaders of the G7 countries (G7), said that the allies are ready to introduce a “crushing” package of sanctions against Russia.
On February 24, Russian President Vladimir Putin, in his special televised address, announced that a special operation would be carried out in the Donbass in order to protect the civilian population. After that, Vladimir Zelensky accused Russia of hitting the country’s military infrastructure and introduced martial law throughout the country.
On February 21, Putin signed decrees recognizing the independence of the LNR and the DNR. Also, the Russian leader and the heads of both republics Leonid Pasechnik and Denis Pushilin signed agreements on friendship, cooperation and mutual assistance. The documents were ratified the next day by both the republics themselves and the Russian State Duma.
Since 2014, the Ukrainian authorities have been conducting a military operation against the inhabitants of Donbass, who refused to recognize the results of the coup d’état and the new government in Ukraine. At the same time, Kiev blames Moscow for the current situation. Russia has repeatedly stated that it is not a party to the conflict.
The situation in Donbass escalated on February 17, 2022. In the Donetsk and Lugansk People’s Republics, heavy shelling by Ukrainian security forces was reported, including from heavy weapons. The republics announced a general mobilization and evacuation of civilians to the territory of Russia.
Source: IZ
Jane Stock is a technology author, who has written for 24 Hours World. She writes about the latest in technology news and trends, and is always on the lookout for new and innovative ways to improve his audience’s experience.
