EU Sanctions Against Belarus — 6th Package: SWIFT Disconnection and War-Related Measures (March 2022)

On 2 March 2022, one week after Russia's full-scale invasion of Ukraine — which was launched in part from Belarusian territory — the European Union adopted its sixth package of sanctions against Belarus. This package represented a qualitative escalation, with measures directly targeting the Belarusian financial system and the country's support for Russia's war effort.

Background: Belarus as a Co-Belligerent

On 24 February 2022, Russian forces crossed into Ukraine from multiple directions, including from Belarus in the north, where Russian troops had been assembled under the pretext of a military exercise. Belarusian territory served as a staging ground for the initial assault on Kyiv. While Belarus did not officially declare war on Ukraine, its military, logistics and airspace were placed at Russia's disposal by the Lukashenko government. The EU's sixth package directly addressed this complicity.

SWIFT Disconnection of Belarusian Banks

The most impactful measure of the sixth package was the disconnection of three major Belarusian banks from the SWIFT international financial messaging system:

• Belagroprombank — the country's fourth-largest bank
• Bank Dabrabyt — already subject to EU measures from February 2022
• Belarusian Bank for Development and Reconstruction (Development Bank)

SWIFT disconnection prevents these banks from sending or receiving international financial messages, effectively cutting them off from the global banking system.

National Bank Measures

The sixth package also prohibited:

• All transactions with the National Bank of the Republic of Belarus
• Acceptance of deposits from Belarusian nationals exceeding €100,000
• Belarusian citizens holding accounts in EU central securities depositories

Individual Listings

22 additional individuals were designated, primarily Belarusian military commanders and officials directly involved in facilitating Russian military operations from Belarusian territory.

Dual-Use and Industrial Goods

The sixth package expanded restrictions on exports to Belarus to include:

• Dual-use goods and technologies that could contribute to military capabilities
• Intermediate industrial goods including tobacco, iron and steel products, rubber, wood and cement — key Belarusian export sectors

Significance

The sixth package marked the effective fusion of the EU's Belarus sanctions with its response to Russia's war in Ukraine, recognising Belarus as an active participant in the aggression rather than a neutral bystander.