Leanid Mikalaievich Churo

Designation identifiers

UKSL unique ID

BEL0098

OFSI group ID

14115

Designation type

Individual

Date designated

21 June 2021

Last updated

9 April 2025

Regimes

• The Republic of Belarus (Sanctions) (EU Exit) Regulations 2019

Designation sources

• UK

Sanctions imposed

• Asset freeze
• Travel Ban
• Director Disqualification Sanction

Official reasons

• In his position as Director General of BELAERONAVIGATSIA Republican Unitary Air Navigation Services Enterprise, Leanid Churo is responsible for Belarusian air traffic control. He therefore bears responsibility for the order to intercept passenger flight FR4978 and compel its landing at Minsk airport, without proper justification, on 23 May 2021. In doing so, he acted on the direction of Alexander Lukashenko and in conjunction with the Belarusian defence forces. This resulted in the forced redirection of flight FR4978, the detention of the aircraft, its passengers and the crew, and the arrest of opposition journalist and civil society actor Roman Protasevich and Protasevich’s partner Sofia Sapega. This politically-motivated decision was aimed at arresting and detaining opposition journalist Protasevich and Sapega and constitutes a form of repression against civil society and democratic opposition in Belarus. Churo is therefore responsible for the repression of civil society and democratic opposition in Belarus and so undermined democracy and the rule of law there.

Other information

• The Director Disqualification Sanction was imposed on 09/04/2025.