The European Parliament called for tougher sanctions against Russia

The European Union and the United States should tighten sanctions against Russia in the event of an escalation of the situation in eastern Ukraine or the deterioration of Alexei Navalny's condition. This was stated by the head of the leading faction of the European Parliament - the European People's Party (EPP) - Manfred Weber.

Weber accused Russia of "dangerous provocations", the response to which must be "unequivocal and strong." He also called the movement of troops to the Ukrainian border a test for the West, Funke reports. “The time of metered sanctions in this case will pass. A large-scale freezing of oligarchs' accounts or disconnection of Russia from SWIFT should become real options in the event of an escalation, ”explained the head of the EPP.

Earlier, the United States and a number of European countries expressed concern about the statements of the Ukrainian military about the buildup of Russian forces along the border with Ukraine. Press Secretary of the Russian President Dmitry Peskov said that the movement of Russian troops across the country does not threaten other states in any way. He also recalled that Russian troops are not involved in the internal Ukrainian conflict.

Recall that the conflict in Donbass erupted with renewed vigor at the end of February. The parties accused each other of violating the truce. At the same time, Navalny went on a hunger strike so that a doctor could be allowed to see him. The opposition's lawyers claim that his health in the colony has deteriorated . At the same time, officers of the Federal Penitentiary Service claim that Navalny's condition is assessed as satisfactory.