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Tag: NATO

  • Ukraine: NATO, U.S. mobilise rapid attack force to counter Russia

    Ukraine: NATO, U.S. mobilise rapid attack force to counter Russia

    The rapid response force of the North Atlantic Organization (NATO) has been activated in the event Russia touched any NATO member State.

    TheNewsGuru.com (TNG) reports NATO and the United States of America (USA) are now ready to send in military in the circumstance.

    It is very likely that as Russia continues its onslaught on Ukraine, member States of NATO might be affected.

    NATO has mobilised 120 combat-ready warships, 100 fighter jets and tens of thousands of soldiers on high alert.

    The European Union (EU), also is on high alert as events unfold between Russia and Ukraine.

    NATO on Friday shifted some of the troops in order to be able to respond swiftly if needed, as Russian attacks on Ukraine continued unrelentingly and Western countries and alliances imposed tougher sanctions on Moscow.

    NATO is deploying units of the rapid reaction NATO Response Force (NRF) on land, at sea, and in the air to respond quickly to any contingency, Secretary-General Jens Stoltenberg said, as Russian continued its attack on Ukraine.

    He did not initially state where the troops would be deployed, in comments that followed a video conference with NATO leaders, but dpa learned that ground troops could be sent to Romania.

    Meanwhile, NRF units are due to head to Norway, for an exercise, in the first deployment of parts of the NRF in the course of deterrence and defence of the alliance area, Stoltenberg said.

    The NATO members said the measures were “preventive, proportionate, and non-escalatory” in a statement.

    German Chancellor Olaf Scholz told the emergency summit that the eastern members of the alliance needed more troops following Russia’s attack on Ukraine.

    As he spoke, the first British soldiers and trucks carrying additional equipment reached Estonia to reinforce the NATO battalion there.

    A convoy with six battle tanks and other military vehicles reached the Tapa military base, the Estonian army said.

    London is set to send 850 soldiers and equipment to Estonia, roughly doubling the British contingent there.

    Other NATO members also announced new deployments to strengthen the Western military alliance.

    Italy said it was making around 3,400 additional soldiers available on the alliance’s eastern flank, while Denmark announced it was ready to contribute 20 more F-16 fighter jets to help secure NATO airspace.

    Also on Friday, Russia banned British aircraft from using its airspace, in a tit-for-tat response a day after London barred Russia’s Aeroflot airline from flying to Britain.

    Poland and the Czech Republic followed up later by saying they would also close airspace to Russian planes.

    Friday also saw Western countries impose tougher sanctions amid Moscow’s unrelenting attacks.

    Washington was the latest to announce sanctions targeting Russian President Vladimir Putin and Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov, on Friday after penalties imposed on the two earlier by Britain and the European Union in response to Moscow’s invasion.

    Russia responded by criticising the sanctions on Putin and Lavrov, slamming these as a sign of weak foreign policy.

    In further efforts to cease hostilities, the Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD) formally ended Russia’s accession negotiations, it said in a statement.

    The organization said it would continue to reconsider its co-operation with Russia in the days and weeks ahead, while also weighing how to better support the Ukrainian government.

    The move came after the 47-country Council of Europe, Europe’s human rights watchdog, suspended Russia with immediate effect.

    Individual countries also adopted their own measures, with the Spanish government withdrawing the country’s ambassador to Ukraine.

    The pro-Russian president of Serbia, Alexander Vucic, has been critical of the Russian invasion of Ukraine.

    “We consider it a grave mistake to violate the territorial integrity of a country like Ukraine,” Vucic said in Belgrade on Friday evening.

    At the same time, he said that his country would not be imposing sanctions on Moscow.

    Ambassador Silvia Cortés will be taken to Poland in a convoy of vehicles together with around 100 other Spanish citizens, Foreign Minister José Manuel Albares told Spanish media on Friday.

    The invasion has opened the eyes of many EU states, according to Latvia’s prime minister Krisjanis Karins, who said a period of naivety had come to an end, in comments to Latvian news agency Leta.

    “Many European countries have lived under the illusion that everything can be negotiated if they find the right words to say to Putin and if they are patient,” Karins said, referring to the Baltic states’ long-standing admonitions to its EU and NATO partners.

    But with a “brutal war” unfolding in Ukraine, Karins said, the same countries now understand that these were only empty hopes.

    “For a long time, the world did not want to accept the obvious. Now everything has changed.

    “Putin has lost all trust and support within the democratic world,” Karins said.

    At the close of the day, U.S. President Joe Biden reiterated Washington’s support for Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky.

    “I commended the brave actions of the Ukrainian people who were fighting to defend their country,” Biden said in a statement following their call.

    “I also conveyed ongoing economic, humanitarian, and security support being provided by the United States as well as our continued efforts to rally other countries to provide similar assistance,” U.S. President Joe Biden assured Zelensky.

    Washington also dismissed Russian offers of talks with Ukraine.

    “Diplomacy by the barrel of a gun, coercive diplomacy, is not something that we are going to take part in,” U.S. State Department spokesperson Ned Price said, adding this would not aid peace efforts in a real, genuine and sustainable way.

    Diplomacy cannot succeed in a context where “you rain down bombs, mortar shells” and “your tanks advance towards a capital of 2.9 million people,” he said.

    Meanwhile, people worldwide took to the streets to show their solidarity with Ukraine.

    Buildings and monuments were lit up in the blue and yellow colours of the Ukrainian flag, including starting Friday evening the Eiffel Tower.

    In Germany, rallies were announced for the weekend in cities including Berlin.

    In Stockholm, Swedish climate activist Greta Thunberg showed her support during Friday’s climate protest.

    Along with others, the 19-year-old stood in front of the Russian embassy.

    She held a small sign in the blue and yellow national colours with the inscription “Stand with Ukraine” in her hand.

  • Why U.S., NATO should be blamed for Ukraine crisis – Venezuela

    Why U.S., NATO should be blamed for Ukraine crisis – Venezuela

    Venezuela blamed NATO and U.S. for the crisis in Ukraine, where Russian troops were advancing on the capital a little more than a day into their invasion of the neighboring country.

    Venezuela’s foreign ministry on Friday, said that NATO and the United States had violated the Minsk agreements, a 2014 deal aimed at ending a war in Donbas, a separatist region in eastern Ukraine.

    Russian missiles pounded Kyiv as families cowered in shelters and authorities told residents to prepare Molotov cocktails to defend against the Russian assault.

    “The Bolivarian Republic of Venezuela expresses its worry over the worsening of the crisis in Ukraine, and laments the mockery and violation of the Minsk accords on the part of NATO, encouraged by the United States of America,” the ministry said in a statement.

    “The derailment of these (Minsk) accords has violated international law and created strong threats against the Russian Federation, its territorial integrity and sovereignty, as well as impeded good relations between neighboring countries.”

    South American country’s president, Nicolas Maduro, said before the invasion launched on Thursday that Venezuela was with Putin , also urged a diplomatic dialogue to avoid an increase in the conflict.

    Colombia, Argentina and Chile on Thursday, called for swift withdrawal of Russian troops from Ukraine, as other Latin American countries rejected the use of force but stopped short of calling for a Russian exit.

  • Japan to impose sanctions on Russia

    Japan to impose sanctions on Russia

    Japan will impose sanctions on Russia targeting semiconductor exports and financial institutions, Prime Minister Fumio Kishida said Friday after G7 leaders agreed to punish Moscow economically for invading Ukraine.

    The announcement came after Russian President Vladimir Putin unleashed a full-scale ground invasion and air assault on Thursday.

    Kishida said the world’s third-largest economy planned “asset freezes and the suspension of visa

    Kishida said the world’s third-largest economy planned “asset freezes and the suspension of visa issuance for Russian individuals and organisations” as well as asset freezes “targeting Russian financial institutions”.

    “Thirdly, we will sanction exports to Russian military-related organisations, and exports to Russia of general-purpose goods such as semiconductors and items on a restricted list based on international agreements,” he told reporters.

    Kishida did not detail the scale of the sanctions or which individuals and institutions would be targeted, though local media said Bank Rossiya, Promsvyazbank and Russia’s economic development bank VEB would be hit.

    Semiconductors are essential components in products from cars to gaming consoles and are in short supply worldwide.

    The United States has also announced export controls on sensitive components that US President Joe Biden said will “cut off more than half of Russia’s high-tech imports”.

  • What sanctions have been imposed on Russia over attack on Ukraine?

    What sanctions have been imposed on Russia over attack on Ukraine?

    After Russian forces entered Ukraine from Belarus which is about 20 miles from the capital Kyiv and launched multiple attacks on major cities resulting in both military and civilian casualties, a number of sanctions have already been announced by Western powers against Russia, in an attempt to compel President Vladimir Putin to take urgent steps towards deescalating the conflict.

    The sanctions target different areas, hitting specific financial institutions, Russia’s capacity to raise sovereign debt on international markets as well as several individuals, but analysts say that the measures fall short of the options available and may not have much impact.

    Below is a list of sanctions announced against Russia so far:

    EU

    The 27-member bloc unanimously announced on Tuesday initial sanctions aimed at the 351 Russian politicians who voted for recognising the two separatist regions in Ukraine, as well as 27 other Russian officials and institutions from the defence and banking sectors. They also sought to limit Moscow’s access to EU capital and financial markets.

    US

    US President Joe Biden has announced economic sanctions on Russia following the Russian invasion of Ukraine, sanctioning and freezing Russian banks that together hold around $1 trillion in assets, including state-owned VEB and Promsvyazbank, in what he calls the first tranche of sanctions.

    Canada

    Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau has also announced sanctions against 58 Russian individuals and entities in response to Moscow’s invasion of Ukraine, which he called “a massive threat to security and peace around the world.”

    These sanctions will target members of the Russian elite and their families, security officials, the Wagner group — a private military company — as well as Russian banks, he said, adding that Canada was also cancelling export permits for Russia.

    UK

    Britain’s foreign office on Thursday imposed 50,000 pound limit on Russian nationals’ deposits in UK Banks. This means that Russian nationals will not be allowed to have deposits of more than 50,000 pounds ($66,860) at British banks.

    Three Russian billionaires affected by the sanction include Gennady Timchenko, Boris Rotenberg and Igor Rotenberg. The Rotenbergs are co-owners of SGM Group, which makes oil and gas infrastructure. Timchenko is the owner of private investment firm Volga Group.

    In addition, five Russian banks have also been excluded from London’s financial system as part of further sanctions and the UK has banned ban Russia’s Aeroflot and prohibited all dual use export

    Ukraine

    Ukraine’s parliament has approved imposing sanctions on 351 Russians, including lawmakers who supported the recognition of the independence of separatist-controlled territories and the use of Russian troops in eastern Ukraine.

    The sanctions restrict almost all possible types of activities, in particular a ban on entry into Ukraine, prohibit access to assets, capital, property, licenses for business.

    Germany

    German Chancellor Olaf Scholz announced the halting of the process of certifying the Nord Stream 2 gas pipeline from Russia – a Baltic Sea gas pipeline which connects mainland Russia with Germany. The deal has been long sought by Moscow but criticised by the US for increasing Europe’s reliance on Russian energy.

    Australia

    Australia Prime Minister Scott Morrison has announced the imposition of penalties on Russia’s Security Council for “behaving like thugs and bullies” in connection with the aggression against Ukraine.

    Japan

    Japan says it will announce its sanctions on Russia Friday in the areas of finance and export controls. Japan’s sanctions will include banning the issuance of Russian bonds in Japan and freezing the assets of certain Russian individuals as well as restricting travel to Japan, Prime Minister Fumio Kishida said.

     

  • Ukraine crisis: Pastor Adeboye and the Atlantic monstrous storm

    Ukraine crisis: Pastor Adeboye and the Atlantic monstrous storm

    As the world ushered in the year 2022, General Overseer of the Redeemed Christian Church of God (RCCG), Pastor Enoch Adeboye dropped prophecies for the year.

    Pastor Adeboye dropped the prophetic messages from God during the annual cross over service of the RCCG.

    He said on the international scene, “there will be two monstrous storms (one coming from the Atlantic and one from the Pacific)” and that “unless they are weakened, the results will be terrible”.

    A storm can mean a violent disturbance of the atmosphere with strong winds and usually rain, thunder, lightning, or snow. A storm can also mean a sudden attack and capture of a building or a place by troops, using means of force.

    Should Pastor Adeboye be taken in and out of context, one of his prophecies might be seeing fulfilment before our very eyes with the invasion of Ukraine by Russia.

    Ukraine is a country in Eastern Europe, and on 12 June 2020, the nation joined the enhanced opportunity partner interoperability program of the North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO).

    However, according to an official NATO statement, the new status “does not prejudge any decisions on NATO membership”.

    Meanwhile, relations between Ukraine and NATO started in 1992. Ukraine applied to begin a NATO Membership Action Plan (MAP) in 2008.

    Plans for NATO membership were shelved by Ukraine following the 2010 presidential election in which Viktor Yanukovych, who preferred to keep the country non-aligned, was elected President.

    However, following the Russian military invasion in Ukraine and parliamentary elections in October 2014, the new government made joining NATO a priority.

    On 21 February 2019, the Constitution of Ukraine was amended, the norms on the strategic course of Ukraine for membership in the European Union and NATO are enshrined in the preamble of the Basic Law, three articles and transitional provisions.

    However, Russia has been a strong opposition to Ukraine joining NATO, opposed to any eastward expansion of NATO.

    On February 12, 2008, (then) Russian President Vladimir Putin said Russia may target its missiles at Ukraine if its neighbour joins NATO and accepts the deployment of a US missile defence shield.

    Of course, Russia has blamed Ukraine for the recent escalation in the conflict between the two neighbours.

    “The root of today’s crisis around Ukraine is the actions of Ukraine itself, who for many years were sabotaging its obligations under the Minsk package of measures,” Vassily Nebenzia, Russian UN Ambassador, said.

    The Minsk agreements were a series of international agreements which sought to end the war in the Donbas region of Ukraine.

    Meanwhile, NATO Secretary-General, Jens Stoltenberg had stressed that Russia will not be able to veto Ukraine’s accession to NATO, “as we will not return to the era of spheres of interest when large countries decide what smaller ones should do”.

    With Russia’s attack on Ukraine, a monstrous storm from NATO might be in the offing. Already, the storm is gathering.

  • Ukraine: Netherlands sends F-35 fighters to protect NATO airspace

    Ukraine: Netherlands sends F-35 fighters to protect NATO airspace

    The Netherlands has sent two F-35 fighters to protect NATO airspace over Eastern Europe amid Russia’s military operation in Ukraine, the Dutch Defense Ministry said on Thursday.

    The Dutch defence ministry wrote on Twitter: “Two F-35 fighters are currently deployed to protect NATO airspace over Eastern Europe.

    “The Netherlands expresses allied solidarity and contributes, especially now, to maintain the integrity of the NATO zone.’’

    The Lockheed Martin F-35 Lightning II is an American family of single-seat, single-engine, all-weather stealth multirole combat aircraft that is intended to perform both air superiority and strike missions.

    It has an unmatched ability to evade enemy detection and enter contested airspace.

    Advanced electronic warfare capabilities locate and track enemy forces, jam radars, and disrupt attacks.

    The F-35 Helmet is one of the most advanced pieces of technology on the planet.

    On Thursday morning, Russian President Vladimir Putin declared a military operation against Ukraine.

    In a televised speech, the Russian leader said the self-proclaimed Luhansk and Donetsk republics requested help from Russia to counter Ukraine’s military aggression.

    The Russian defence ministry said the army did not target Ukrainian cities, so there was no threat to the civilians.

  • Pope Francis reacts to Russia-Ukraine crisis

    Pope Francis reacts to Russia-Ukraine crisis

    Catholic Pontiff, Pope Francis has lamented the threat of war between Russia and Ukraine.

    Pope Francis said the threat causes him great pains.

    The Pontiff spoke yesterday at the end of his weekly general audience at the Vatican in Rome.

    He condemned the “diabolic senselessness of violence” and asked the Madonna, “the queen of peace, to save the world from the madness of war”.

    “I have great pain in my heart because of the worsening of the situation in Ukraine.

    “I appeal to all sides to abstain from any action that could provoke more suffering to the populations, destabilising coexistence among nations and discrediting international law,” Pope Francis said.

    He called on politicians to make “a serious examination of conscience before God” about the effects of their actions.

  • Russia Pegs back Ukrainian Armed Forces , Destroys Airbases

    Russia Pegs back Ukrainian Armed Forces , Destroys Airbases

    Russia’s ground forces on Thursday crossed into Ukraine from several directions, Ukraine’s border guard service said, hours after President Vladimir Putin announced the launch of a major offensive.

    Russian tanks and other heavy equipment crossed the frontier in several northern regions, as well as from the Kremlin-annexed peninsula of Crimea in the south, the agency said.

    It said one of its servicemen died in a shelling attack along the Crimean border, the first officially confirmed military death of the Russian invasion.

    Ukraine has suffered heavy casualties in its eight-year conflict with Russian-backed rebels in the separatist east, but has reported no fatalities along its southern border with Crimea for some years.

    Russian President Vladimir Putin launched a military operation in Ukraine on Thursday with explosions heard across the country and its foreign minister warning a “full-scale invasion” was underway.

    Russia’s ground forces on Thursday crossed into Ukraine from several directions, Ukraine’s border guard service said, hours after President Vladimir Putin announced the launch of a major offensive.

    Russian tanks and other heavy equipment crossed the frontier in several northern regions, as well as from the Kremlin-annexed peninsula of Crimea in the south, the agency said.

    It said one of its servicemen died in a shelling attack along the Crimean border, the first officially confirmed military death of the Russian invasion.

    https://www.ndtv.com/world-news/russian-president-vladimir-putin-announces-a-military-operation-in-ukraine-news-agency-afp-2785879

    Ukraine has suffered heavy casualties in its eight-year conflict with Russian-backed rebels in the separatist east, but has reported no fatalities along its southern border with Crimea for some years.

    Russian President Vladimir Putin launched a military operation in Ukraine on Thursday with explosions heard across the country and its foreign minister warning a “full-scale invasion” was underway.

    Weeks of intense diplomacy and the imposition of Western sanctions on Russia failed to deter Putin, who had massed between 150,000 and 200,000 troops along the borders of Ukraine.

    “I have made the decision of a military operation,” Putin said in a surprise television announcement that triggered immediate condemnation from US President Joe Biden and other Western leaders, and sent global financial markets into turmoil.

    Shortly after the announcement, explosions were heard in Ukraine’s capital, Kyiv, and several other cities, according to AFP correspondents.

    Ukrainian border guards reported being under attack along the Russian and Belarusian frontiers.

    Ukraine’s President Volodymyr Zelensky declared martial law and said Russia was attacking his country’s “military infrastructure”, but urged citizens not to panic and vowed victory.

    His foreign minister said the worst-case scenario was playing out.

    “Putin has just launched a full-scale invasion of Ukraine. Peaceful Ukrainian cities are under strikes,” Dmytro Kuleba tweeted.

    “This is a war of aggression. Ukraine will defend itself and will win. The world can and must stop Putin. The time to act is now.”

    Within a few hours of Putin’s speech, Russia’s defence ministry said it had neutralised Ukrainian military airbases and its air defence systems.

    In his televised address, Putin justified the operation by claiming the government was overseeing a “genocide” in the east of the country.

    The Kremlin had earlier said rebel leaders in eastern Ukraine had asked Moscow for military help against Kyiv.

    Biden, who had for weeks sought to lead a Western alliance to deter Putin from invading Ukraine, spoke with Zelensky after the Russian operation began to vow US “support” and “assistance”.

    Biden condemned the “unprovoked and unjustified attack by Russian military forces,” and urged world leaders to speak out against Putin’s “flagrant aggression”.

    He also vowed Russia would be held accountable.

    “President Putin has chosen a premeditated war that will bring a catastrophic loss of life and human suffering,” he said in a statement.

    “Russia alone is responsible for the death and destruction this attack will bring, and the United States and its allies and partners will respond in a united and decisive way.

    Biden was due to join a virtual, closed-door meeting of G7 leaders — Britain, Canada, France, Germany, Italy, Japan and the United States — on Thursday.

     

     

    An excuse for the military operation was given on Wednesday when the Kremlin said the separatist leaders of Donetsk and Lugansk had sent separate letters to Putin, asking him to “help them repel Ukraine’s aggression”.

    Their reported appeals came after Putin recognised their independence and signed friendship treaties with them that include defence deals.

    The United Nations Security Council had met late Wednesday for its second emergency session in three days over the crisis, with a personal plea there by UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres coinciding with Putin’s announcement.

    “President Putin, in the name of humanity, bring your troops back to Russia,” Guterres said.

    “In the name of humanity, do not allow to start in Europe what could be the worst war since the beginning of the century.”

    The US ambassador to the United Nations, Linda Thomas-Greenfield, warned that an all-out Russian invasion could displace five million people, triggering a new European refugee crisis.

    Living in fear

    Western nations said ahead of Thursday’s operation Russia had amassed 150,000 troops in combat formations on Ukraine’s borders with Russia, Belarus and Russian-occupied Crimea and on warships in the Black Sea.

    Ukraine has around 200,000 military personnel, and could boost that with up to 250,000 reservists.

    Moscow’s total forces are much larger — around a million active-duty personnel — and have been modernised and re-armed in recent years.

    But Ukraine has received advanced anti-tank weapons and some drones from NATO members. More have been promised as the allies try to deter a Russian attack or at least make it costly.

    Shelling had intensified in recent days between Ukrainian forces and Russia-backed separatists — a Ukrainian soldier was killed on Wednesday, the sixth in four days — and civilians living near the front were fearful.

    Dmitry Maksimenko, a 27-year-old coal miner from government-held Krasnogorivka, told AFP that he was shocked when his wife came to tell him that Putin had recognised the two Russian-backed separatist enclaves.

    “She said: ‘Have you heard the news?’. How could I have known? There’s no electricity, never mind internet. I don’t know what is going to happen next, but to be honest, I’m afraid,” he said.

    Russia has long demanded that Ukraine be forbidden from ever joining the NATO alliance and that US troops pull out from Eastern Europe.

    Speaking to journalists, Putin on Tuesday set out a number of stringent conditions if the West wanted to de-escalate the crisis, saying Ukraine should drop its NATO ambition and become neutral.

    Source :NDTV

     

  • Ukraine Crisis : America moves F-35 fighter jets, more troops to Eastern Europe

    Ukraine Crisis : America moves F-35 fighter jets, more troops to Eastern Europe

    The Pentagon is moving up to eight F-35 fighter jets and a slew of other warplanes to Eastern Europe, the Baltics and Poland to shore up support for NATO allies following what President Biden called the beginning of Russia’s invasion of Ukraine.

    At the direction of the president, Defense Secretary Lloyd J. Austin III also ordered an infantry battalion task force — some 800 troops — to the Baltics, according to a senior Defense Department official. All of the troops and warplanes were already in the European theater, the official said.

    The latest orders come as the Biden administration and its European allies called the Kremlin’s recognition of two separatist regions of Ukraine defiance of international law. Mr. Biden on Tuesday joined European leaders in imposing economic sanctions against Russia for what he termed as a violation of Ukraine’s national sovereignty.

    The Pentagon said the additional forces are being repositioned to “reassure our NATO allies, deter any potential aggression against NATO member states, and train with host-nation forces.” The Biden administration has said that it does not intend to send troops into Ukraine, which is not a member of the alliance.

    The deployments include the movement of up to eight F-35 fighters from Germany to several operating locations along NATO’s so-called “eastern flank” in Eastern Europe, a battalion of 20 attack helicopters from Germany to the Baltics, and an attack aviation task force of 12 helicopters from Greece to Poland.

    Mr. Biden has already deployed 3,000 additional American troops to Poland and Romania.

    The New York Times

  • EU sanctions Russia defence minister, military chief

    EU sanctions Russia defence minister, military chief

    The European Union has imposed sanctions on Russia’s defence minister Sergei Shoigu, the country’s military chiefs, and other people close to the Kremlin in response to the escalating crisis in Ukraine.

    The 27-nation group says it is freezing assets and imposing visa bans on high-ranking officials that include not only the heads of Russia’s army, navy and air force, but President Vladimir Putin’s chief of staff, and the editor-in-chief of state-run English language television channel RT, according to the EU’s official journal.

    https://www.aljazeera.com/news/2022/2/24/ukraine-eu-sanctions-russia-defence-minister-military-chief

    Western countries have toughened sanctions on Russia since the country announced it was recognising two breakaway regions of eastern Ukraine as independent and would send troops there, a move that was condemned repeatedly in an emergency session of the United Nations Security Council on Monday night.

    “That illegal act further undermines Ukraine’s sovereignty and independence and is a severe breach of international law and international agreements,” the EU said in announcing the latest sanctions, which were agreed to at a meeting in Paris on Tuesday.

    Flagging the plan alongside French Foreign Minister Jean-Yves Le Drian then, EU foreign policy chief Josep Borrell said: “The sanctions will hurt Russia and will hurt a lot.”

    The details were released as Moscow said the rebel areas had sought its “help” over alleged Ukrainian aggression while Ukraine’s President Volodymyr Zelenskyy warned that Russia could be on the brink of starting a “major war in Europe”.

    The EU said those on the blacklist had been involved in military aggression against Ukraine, taking key political decisions, or propaganda on the situation on behalf of the Kremlin.

    The Internet Research Agency (IRA) – accused of spearheading Kremlin-backed online disinformation campaigns – was targeted.

    “The company conducts disinformation campaigns targeting Ukraine’s agenda by influencing elections or perceptions of the annexation of Crimea or the conflict in Donbas,” the EU said. “The Internet Research Agency is responsible for actively supporting actions, which undermine and threaten the territorial integrity, sovereignty and independence of Ukraine.”

    It noted the IRA was funded by Yevgeny Prigozhin, a close Putin ally who is thought to be the founder of Wagner, the mercenary group accused of sending fighters to Ukraine and other conflict zones. He has already been blacklisted by the EU – over Wagner’s involvement in Libya – but his wife and mother were added to the list.

    Others targeted for their alleged involvement in spreading Kremlin propaganda include RT’s Margarita Simonyan, foreign ministry spokeswoman Maria Zakharova, and pro-Kremlin broadcasters Vladimir Solovyev and Pyotr Tolstoy.

    Three prominent banks VEB, Rossiya – described as the “personal bank of Senior Officials of the Russian Federation” – and Promsvyazbank were also sanctioned.

    The EU also moved to limit access to Moscow’s sovereign debt to European financial markets, and imposed a ban on imports from Donetsk and Luhansk territories.

    The EU has said the sanctions are just the first part of a package of “unprecedented” measures it has prepared against Russia and that it is holding the rest back in case the Kremlin launches a full-scale attack on Ukraine.

    The United States has also targeted Russia’s sovereign debt and certain banks in sanctions announced on Tuesday, while the United Kingdom targeted five banks and three oligarchs. Germany has suspended certification of the Russian-owned Nord Stream 2 pipeline, while Australia, Japan and Canada have also announced measures.