Name

Viktar Gienadzjevich Khrenin

Year of birth

1971

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Additional Information

Regime: Belarus

(UK Sanctions List Ref):BEL0096. (UK Statement of Reasons):In his position as Minister of Defence of Belarus since 20 January 2020, Viktor Khrenin is responsible for the decision taken by the Command of the Air Forces and Air Defence Forces for the order dispatching military aircraft to intercept passenger flight FR4978 and compel its landing at Minsk airport, without proper justification, on 23 May 2021. In doing so, Khrenin acted at the direction of Alexander Lukashenko and in conjunction with the Belarusian aviation authorities. 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. Viktor Khrenin is therefore responsible for the repression of civil society and democratic opposition in Belarus and so undermined democracy and the rule of law there. (Gender):Male