Sunday, 06 July 2025
Minister of Transport and Communications Alexey Lyakhnovich presented a report on the draft Law "On Amending the Codes of Criminal and Administrative Liability" at a meeting of the lower house of Parliament.
The main objective of the bill is to ensure national, public, and flight safety when using Belarusian airspace for the launch of civilian UAVs.
The document proposes amendments to the Criminal Code of the Republic of Belarus, the Code of Administrative Offenses (CAO), and the Procedural-Executive Code of Administrative Offenses (PECAO).
Decree No. 297 of the President of the Republic of Belarus dated September 25, 2023, "On the State Registration and Operation of Civil Unmanned Aerial Vehicles" establishes a number of prohibitions and restrictions regarding operations with civilian unmanned aerial vehicles.
The draft law introduces administrative penalties for violations of Decree No. 297.
It is also stipulated that violation of the ban on the import, storage, circulation, operation and manufacture of civilian UAVs, established by Decree No. 297 for citizens, may entail not only administrative but also criminal liability if these actions are committed within one year after the imposition of an administrative penalty for the same violations.
Since the CAO is being supplemented with new articles, amendments are also envisaged to be made to the PECAO: the bodies whose officials are empowered to draw up protocols on administrative offenses, as well as the bodies that will have the right to consider cases of administrative offenses, are being determined.
"The bill does not provide for any obstacles for legal entities and individual entrepreneurs using civilian unmanned aerial vehicles for business purposes," noted Alexey Lyakhnovich.
