October 10, 2026
German Foreign Minister Johan Wadewohl has escalated his diplomatic tone against Moscow, threatening to impose a wide-ranging sanctions package targeting the Russian war economy and the parties that support it. This came after an unsuccessful and fruitless meeting he held in New York with his Russian counterpart, Sergei Lavrov, on the sidelines of the United Nations General Assembly.
This firm German position comes in the wake of an intense wave of Russian missile attacks targeting civilians in Ukraine. In statements he made to the German News Agency (DPA) in Berlin, Vadevol said that “Putin’s brutality knows no bounds,” accusing the Russian president of continuing his “missile terrorism against the Ukrainian people and many children with increasing intensity.” Despite this, the German minister stressed that Putin will ultimately fail “in the face of Ukraine’s resistance, and in the face of Germany’s continued support for its defense.”
Vadiful described the recent attacks as conclusive evidence that Moscow is “betting entirely on escalation,” pointing to the killing of dozens of civilians, including children, during the past three days. He explained that the Russian attrition tactic is characterized by “incredible brutality,” as neighborhoods and residential homes are deliberately destroyed night after night, killing safe people while they sleep, as happened in the city of Priluki.
In a related context, Vadivul pointed out that last Wednesday, the European Union allocated an additional 1.2 billion euros to support air defense systems in Ukraine with the aim of saving lives.
The minister revealed serious European moves to increase pressure on Moscow, stressing that Brussels is currently putting the finishing touches on a new sanctions package that is considered the most comprehensive to date, which will target individuals and companies linked to the Russian military sector. “Our country will significantly increase pressure on the Russian war economy and its supporters, and this will also materially impact Russia’s ability to continue attacking Ukraine,” Vadivul said.
For her part, European Union foreign policy official Kaya Kallas announced that preparations are underway to impose new sanctions targeting an additional 1,600 people and entities linked to the Russian military-industrial complex.
On the ground, recent Russian attacks have left heavy human losses; Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky announced that at least 19 people were killed and 55 others were injured, including 5 dead children and the same number of wounded, as a result of the targeting of a five-story residential building in the city of Priluki, located about 120 kilometers east of the capital, Kiev.
