Lithuanian Customs returns Belavia shipment to France

"The decision not to fill in the export declaration was made upon failure to receive the two companies' contract to prove the transaction was agreed before June 25, 2021. Under contracts signed later, companies included into the EU sanction packages are banned from exporting goods," the statement reads.

Valued at almost 154,000 euros, the shipment of equipment for the maintenance of civilian planes was returned to French company Embraer Aviation France.

Last week, the EU's fifth package of sanctions for 28 natural and legal persons (17 natural persons and 11 legal persons) came into force for their involvement in the organization of illegal migration to put political pressure and also for the organization of repressions against the people of Belarus.

Belarusian airline Belavia is among the sanctioned companies.

Brussels accuses the Lukashenko regime of having organized a hybrid attack against the EU by luring thousands of migrants from the Middle East and diverting them towards the Polish, Latvian and Lithuanian borders.

Lukashenko denies responsibility for that.