Build-up of Belarus sanctions ---------------------------------------- POLAND LATVIA RUSSIA LITHUANIA Vilnius Naftan Oil refinery BELARUS Belneftekhim Oil Belaruskali Potash Mazur Oil refinery UKRAINE Hrodna Azot Chemicals Minsk 80km 50 miles ---------------------------------------- Aug 9, 2020: Alexander Lukashenko (left) claims victory in disputed presidential election. Belarus police crack down on protests, opposition leaders imprisoned ---------------------------------------- Aug 11: Svetlana Tikhanovskaya (above right) – main challenger in election – flees to Lithuania ---------------------------------------- Oct-Dec: EU and UK impose three rounds of sanctions – ban on travel to EU, asset freeze for 88 individuals, including Lukashenko, and seven companies. U.S. blacklists eight Belarus officials ---------------------------------------- Apr 2021: U.S. imposes sanctions against nine Belarusian companies, including state oil company Belneftekhim, Hrodna Azot chemical plant and Naftan oil refinery State-controlled companies facing sanctions ---------------------------------------- May 25: Lufthansa, SAS, Air France, LOT, Singapore Airlines, Finnair and airBaltic stop flying in Belarus’s airspace. Lost income from overflights by foreign airlines amounts to €70,000 per day ---------------------------------------- May onwards: EU could hit state-controlled companies – major sources of revenue for Lukashenko ---------------------------------------- Naftan oil refinery: Annual sales of $3.77 billion Hrodna Azot: Chemical company. $800 million Belaruskali: Potash fertiliser producer. $350 million Belneftekhim. Oil and gas industry. $66.7 million May 24: Ryanair flight FR4978 from Greece to Lithuania is forced to land in Minsk. Dissident journalist Roman Protasevich (inset) and girlfriend Sofia Sapega are seized. EU leaders ban Belarus from 27-nation bloc’s airspace and airports ---------------------------------------- Sources: Reuters, Dun & Bradstreet Pictures: Associated Press, Getty Images © GRAPHIC NEWS