Russia warns of nuclear proliferation in Europe amid rising tensions over Ukraine

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“We are convinced that Russia is already preparing for an all-out war against Ukraine. It is an unprecedented event perhaps since World War II,” Gabrielius Landsbergis, Lithuania’s foreign minister, added on Monday before a meeting with her EU counterparts in Brussels.

In response to Moscow’s provocation, EU foreign ministers agreed to strike targets linked to the Wagner Group, a private Russian military company, with punitive sanctions, accusing it of destabilizing Ukraine and parts of Africa.

Eight people linked to the mercenaries were slapped with an asset freeze and travel ban. The sanctions list included founder Dmitry Utkin, a former commander of Russian special forces created by President Putin.

Wagner’s chief was accused of “extrajudicial” killings, while Alexander Kozin, a 44-year-old Russian believed to be a commander in Wagner’s 1st Assault and Reconnaissance Company, is said to have destabilized Libya.

Another target, Andrei Rochev, 68, one of the group’s founders, has been cited as having led mercenary forces in Syria in support of Bashar al-Assad’s regime.

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