The US on Monday named 10 individuals and 12 entities, two of which it says are part of a global arms network registered in Cyprus, in new sanctions it announced against Belarus.
This action, according to the U.S. Treasury Department's Office of Foreign Assets Control (OFAC), "maintains U.S. economic pressure on the Lukashenko regime for its continued support of Russia's war against Ukraine and the financial benefit it derives from this activity".
According to the US Ambassador in Nicosia, Julie Fisher, the US and Cyprus "continue our joint efforts to oppose Russia's authoritarianism and illegal war in Ukraine".
As she wrote in a post on "X" based on "previous sanctions for the fraudulent August 2020 elections in Belarus and Lukashenko's support for Russia's illegal invasion, the US has named ten individuals and twelve entities, two of which are part of a global arms network and are registered in Cyprus".
Meanwhile, according to the US Treasury Department, the Black Shield network "uses intermediaries and companies such as Centuronic Ltd (Centuronic) and S. Group Airlines Ltd, both located in Cyprus, and Rayya Danişmanlik Hizmetleri Limited Şirketi ( Rayya Danismanlik), located in Turkey, to carry out their activities".
Source: KYPE