{"id":178322,"date":"2026-03-06T11:54:46","date_gmt":"2026-03-06T08:54:46","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/pozirk.online\/en\/news\/178322\/"},"modified":"2026-03-10T12:05:06","modified_gmt":"2026-03-10T12:05:06","slug":"company-linked-to-ex-cyprus-president-helped-lukasenkas-allies-bypass-eu-sanctions-report","status":"publish","type":"articles","link":"https:\/\/pozirk.online\/en\/news\/178322\/","title":{"rendered":"Company linked to ex-Cyprus president helped \u0141uka\u0161enka’s allies bypass EU sanctions \u2014 report"},"content":{"rendered":"\n
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\n\n Nicosia, Cyprus\n <\/div>\n \n
\n (Athina Vrikki \/ unsplash.com)<\/span>\n <\/div>\n <\/figcaption>\n<\/figure>\n\n\n\n

March 6, Pozirk. <\/em><\/strong>A company linked to Nicos Anastasiades, president of Cyprus from 2013 to 2023, helped businessman Juryj \u010cy\u017e, once described as Alaksandar \u0141uka\u0161enka\u2019s \u201cwallet,\u201d circumvent European Union sanctions, the Belarusian Investigative Center (BIC) reports<\/a>.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

From 2012 to 2015, \u010cy\u017e and several of his companies were sanctioned by the EU for financial support of \u0141uka\u0161enka\u2019s regime after violations during the 2010 presidential election in Belarus and the subsequent crackdown.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Anastasiades’ family law firm is said to have provided services to the Belarusian businessman, helping him evade EU restrictions.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

At that time, as economic activities of \u010cy\u017e\u2019s companies were frozen, one of his firms, registered in the EU under a provider company belonging to the family of the then-president of Cyprus, continued to send and receive money, designating them as administrative expenses, BIC said.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Anastasiades\u2019 companies were also allegedly involved in the re-export of Russian gasoline under the guise of solvents and diluents in 2011\u20132012, a Belarusian scheme that media outlets had described as smuggling. Under an agreement then in force between Minsk and Moscow, Belarus was required to pay export duties to Russia, but Belarusian companies avoided them by declaring Russian gasoline and diesel exported from Belarus as solvents, diluents, biodiesel and lubricating oils.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cBusinessmen close to \u0141uka\u0161enka earned insane amounts of money in a very short period. Until Russia came to its senses and, so to speak, clamped down on its crafty partner,\u201d expert Andrej Machouski told BIC.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Investigative journalists added that they had found additional evidence connecting the former Cypriot president and his partners with \u0141uka\u0161enka\u2019s close circle, including \u0141uka\u0161enka himself, citing resort vacations in Belarus in 2012.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u010cy\u017e declined to comment on the matter, while Anastasiades said he was unaware of the issue and warned BIC of possible legal action if the journalists persisted.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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Cyprus to focus on enforcing Belarus sanctions during EU presidency<\/h3>\n
January 5, Pozirk. Cyprus, holding the presidency of the Council of the European Union from January 1, pledged to uphold \u201cthe proper implementation of EU sanctions against Russia and Belarus,\u201d the presidency program says. The document also identified intensified hybrid …<\/div>\n \n