U.S. think tank says Russia tries to bypass sanctions via Belarus

August 22, BPN. Russia will soon face problems repairing combat aircraft due to Western sanctions and is trying to bypass restrictions “by leveraging Belarusian connections with less severe sanctions,” the Institute for the Study of War (ISW), the U.S.-based think tank, said in an update on the Russian offensive campaign on August 21.

The ISW noted that it remains unclear to what extent the Western sanctions have impacted Belarusian imports of aviation repair parts.

On August 20, Ukrainian intelligence reported the signing of “urgent” contracts between Russia’s and Belarus’ defense ministries on August 20 to repair and restore Russian military aviation equipment in Belarus.

It also noted that workers of the 558 Aircraft Repair Plant in Baranavičy, Brest region, currently under Western sanctions, regularly go to Russia’s Moscow region restore and put into operation combat aircraft to be used in the war against Ukraine.

This information cannot be confirmed by official documents available in the public domain.

However, on August 15, the Russian government added the United Aircraft Corporation (UAC) specializing in development and repair of military and civilian aircraft to the list of Russia’s organizations to be maintained in the interests of military and economic cooperation with Belarus.

On February 24, Russia started a full-scale war against Ukraine. Authorities in Minsk deny Belarusian army troops’ involvement in combat operations on the Russian side. However, Belarus allowed Russian troops and weapons to move freely through the country, use its airspace, refuel and store military equipment and attack Ukraine from its territory.

A 20,000-strong grouping of Russian forces crossed into Ukraine from Belarus at the outset of the war, Alaksandr Łukašenka told AFP in an interview on July 21.