By The Washington Times (World News) | Created at 2026-08-07 16:00:31 | Updated at 2026-08-07 16:44:41
2 hours ago
The European Union said it’s targeting five Russians in leadership positions in their country’s war on Ukraine.
Kaja Kallas, the EU’s foreign chief, said the move comes as Moscow escalates its terror campaign against civilians in Ukraine while the Russians stall on the battlefield.
On Wednesday, Russia launched a swarm of ballistic missiles and drones at Kyiv that killed at least 17 civilians and injured dozens more. The attack targeted residential buildings and warehouse hubs, officials said.
“Each new attack on Ukraine is another reason for Europe to tighten the screws on Russia,” Ms. Kallas said Friday. “The EU must continue to intensify pressure on Russia until Moscow ends its war.”
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy said the most pressing task is to prevent Russia from having time to adapt to any restrictions placed on it.
“We see that every Russian missile, every drone and most other types of Russian weapons contain critical components from other countries, without which such weapons wouldn’t exist,” Mr. Zelenskyy said on X. “As of now, the number one challenge is Russian strikes.”
Among those on the latest EU sanctions list is Ramil Nailevich Badgutdinov, director of a Russian company involved in the production of precision electromechanical components, including systems used in Russia’s Iskander-M ballistic missile.
The council also identified Aleksandr Yurevich Dyukarev, director of a company that produces ballistic missiles, including the RS-28 Sarmat system, EU officials said.
Ukrainian Foreign Minister Andrii Sybiha said he welcomes the new sanctions.
“Every act of terror must be met with a resolute response,” he said. “Further decisive actions are needed to stop Russia’s access to critical components for the production of new ballistic missiles and to increase the cost of prolonging the war for Moscow.”
