Gabrielius Landsbergis, Lithuania’s foreign minister, added on Monday ahead of a meeting with her EU counterparts in Brussels: “We are convinced that Russia is actually preparing for an all-out war against Ukraine. It’s an unprecedented event probably since the Second World War.”

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

Eight people with ties to the mercenaries were slapped with asset freezes and travel bans. Those sanctioned included founder Dmitry Utkin, a former Russian special forces commander decorated by President Putin.

The Wagner boss was accused of “extrajudicial” killings, while Alexander Kuzen, a 44-year-old Russian believed to be a commander in Wagner’s 1st Attack and Reconnaissance Company, was said to have destabilised Libya.

Another target, Andrei Roshev, 68, one of the group’s founders, was cited as having led mercenary troops in Syria in support of Bashar al-Assad’s regime.