Abstract
The backlash generated by the armed conflict in Ukraine has led to the adoption of wide-ranging international sanctions measures against Russia and Belarus. Building upon the sanctions initially imposed in 2012 for Belarus and 2014 for Russia, since February 2022 the European Union has issued successive packages of additional measures. This note summarizes the main measures from the point of view of their actual impact on the functioning and operations of the aviation sector, leaving aside restrictions on other industries or products (dual-use equipment, energy sector, etc.). After analysing some general aspects of the sanctioning regime, the specific measures that have an impact on the aeronautical industry are presented.
1. Introduction
The decision of the Russian Federation to recognize the Donetsk and Luhansk “oblasts” as independent republics of Ukraine, and the subsequent invasion of Ukraine by Russian armed forces with the support of Belarus in early 2022, generated widespread rejection in Western countries. In addition to administrative measures and statements of condemnation from many different quarters, non-governmental bodies such as UEFA, FIFA, IIHF, IHF, Euroleague Basketball and many others adopted agreements to exclude Russian and Belarusian entities or individuals from their respective activities.