OFSI sanctions listing
Leanid Mikalaevich CHURO
Leanid Mikalaevich CHURO is an individual designated on the HM Treasury — Office of Financial Sanctions Implementation (OFSI) (OFSI) sanctions list under the Belarus programme, listed on 21/06/2021. Director General, Belaeronavigatsia Republican Unitary Air Navigation Services Enterprise. This page summarises the public designation — known aliases, identifying particulars, the stated reason for listing and linked parties — alongside an independent, transparent risk indicator.
Reason for listing
(UK Sanctions List Ref):BEL0098. (UK Statement of 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. (Gender):Male
Statement of reasons as published by UK OFSI. This is the issuing authority's wording, reproduced for reference.
Designation record
| List / authority | UK OFSI (OFSI) — Belarus |
|---|---|
| Entity type | Person |
| Programmes / regime | Belarus |
| Date listed | 21/06/2021 |
| Source record ID | ofsi:14115 |
| Last updated (our copy) | 2026-06-04 |
Identity & particulars
| Position / role | Director General, Belaeronavigatsia Republican Unitary Air Navigation Services Enterprise |
|---|---|
| Date of birth | 08/07/1956 |
Deep-research dossier
Not yet deep-researched
The instant review above is drawn from the public lists. A deep-research dossier goes much further — an analyst-grade OSINT report: associate & co-investment network screening, structural / ownership opacity, a dated risk trajectory, an 8-factor scoring model, and numbered, source-linked evidence. See the format in the design system.
Clarifications & right of reply
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Source & provenance
| Issuing authority | HM Treasury — Office of Financial Sanctions Implementation (OFSI) |
|---|---|
| Source identifier | ofsi:14115 |
| Aggregated by | Sanctiometer (independent) — verify against the issuing authority's official list before acting. |