In a statement released on Sunday, Belavia revealed that citizens of Afghanistan, Iraq, Syria, and Yemen will no longer be accepted on flights leaving Dubai for the Belarusian capital. The notice also said that the airline will strengthen verification checks on those departing from the Gulf city.

The operator also claimed that it has “never facilitated the transportation of” asylum seekers from these countries to Minsk. “Due to the increased attention on this issue… the airline has strengthened scrutiny on all its flights when it comes to compliance with all visa requirements and migration legislation of the Republic of Belarus and foreign countries,” the message reads.

Brussels blames Belarus for weaponizing migrants in what it called a “hybrid attack” against the EU. The bloc’s top diplomat said that Lukashenko has misjudged the situation, arguing that “by retaliating in this way he was going to twist our arm and have the sanctions cancelled.” Instead, he remarked that “quite the opposite is happening.”

Belarus has denied the charges, and insisted that it was simply no longer prepared to intervene and stop people seeking to cross the border with the EU. Minsk has claimed that this action comes in response to sanctions from Brussels.