The United States named ten individuals and twelve entities, two of which are registered in Cyprus and reported to be part of a global arms network, in its new sanctions against Belarus.

According to the U.S. Treasury's Office of Foreign Assets Control (OFAC), this move "maintains U.S. economic pressure on the Lukashenko regime for its ongoing support of Russia’s war against Ukraine and the economic benefits it derives from this activity."

U.S. Ambassador to Nicosia, Julie Fisher, stated that the U.S. and Cyprus "continue our joint efforts to oppose authoritarianism and Russia's unlawful war in Ukraine."

As noted in a post on social media, the U.S. based these sanctions on "previous sanctions related to the fraudulent August 2020 elections in Belarus and Lukashenko's support for Russia’s illegal invasion, naming ten individuals and twelve entities, two of which are part of a global arms network and registered in Cyprus."

Meanwhile, the U.S. Department of the Treasury reports that the Black Shield network "utilizes intermediaries and companies such as Centuronic Ltd and S. Group Airlines Ltd, both located in Cyprus, and Rayya Danismanlik Hizmetleri Limited Şirketi based in Turkey, to conduct their operations."