Baltic States – CIS, Belarus, Energy, Legislation, Lithuania, Transport

On Friday, the EU Council decided to impose sanctions on a further 12 Belarusians and 29 Belarusian companies. According to EU diplomats, businessman Yury Chyzh is now on the bloc's blacklist, along with his Triple group of companies, which supplies Lithuania with fuel, writes LETA/ELTA.

Around 10 percent of all diesel fuel consumed in neighbouring Lithuania comes from Belarus, according to delfi.lt. Businesses in Lithuania used to buy diesel fuel from Triple either directly or through intermediaries. Some of them re-exported it.

"Our companies have been buying a significant amount of diesel fuel from Chyzh's conglomerate," said Mr. Sadauskas. "His fuel is cheaper than that from Orlen Lietuva [operator of Lithuania's network of filling stations]. Now, they will have to look for other Belarusian suppliers."

Sadauskas, however, added that Chyzh could easily bypass the commercial ban. "It is possible to replace the company's stockholders and name to have everything back in its place," he noted. Reports have had it that the EU's commercial ban does not target three Belarusian companies that cooperate with Latvia, even though being controlled by a blacklisted businessman, as well as Chizh's company, which cooperates with Slovenia.