EU Sanctions Against Belarus — 8th Package: Defence Industry and High-Tech (August 2023)

Belarus Virtual Consult

On 3 August 2023, the European Union adopted its eighth package of sanctions against Belarus, adding 38 individuals and 3 entities to the designated list and introducing new export controls targeting the Belarusian and Russian defence industries and advanced technology sectors.

Individual Listings

The eighth package brought cumulative individual designations to 233 persons and 38 entities. The newly listed individuals included:

Additional KGB and GRU (military intelligence) officials involved in operations against Belarusian civil society and in support of Russian intelligence activities
Prison officials and authorities responsible for conditions of detention and mistreatment of political prisoners
Prosecutors and judges in political trials against opposition figures, journalists and civil society activists
Officials involved in the ongoing forced deportation of Ukrainian children through Belarusian territory

New Export Control Categories

The eighth package introduced or tightened controls on exports to Belarus of:

Aviation and space industry goods: components and equipment used in civilian and military aviation maintenance and manufacturing
Firearms and ammunition: expanded categories subject to export ban
Semiconductors and electronic components: advanced chips and microelectronics identified as critical inputs in Russian and Belarusian weapons systems, including those recovered on Ukrainian battlefields
Unmanned aerial vehicles (drones): components and complete systems
Optical and thermal imaging components: used in targeting and surveillance systems

Human Rights Focus

The Council's accompanying statement emphasised that EU sanctions continued to address both the domestic situation in Belarus — where an estimated 1,400–1,500 political prisoners remained in detention — and Belarus's active military and logistical support for Russia's war in Ukraine. The EU also expressed particular concern about the deployment of Russian tactical nuclear weapons on Belarusian territory, announced by Russia and Belarus in June 2023.