The U.S. Justice Department had said on Monday that six Russian military intelligence officers had been charged for involvement in worldwide deployment of destructive malware.

The group from Russia’s GRU military intelligence agency was implicated in computer intrusions and attacks against Ukraine, Georgia and France, as well as the 2018 Winter Olympics in South Korea due to Russia’s national team being banned on doping allegations, according to the U.S. Justice Department.

“It is completely obvious that such conclusions have nothing to do with reality and are intended only to stir up anti-Russian sentiments in American society,’’ the Russian embassy said in a statement carried by state news outlet RIA.

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The decision was taken at a meeting of EU ambassadors in Brussels, Belgium, as the bloc resolved to slam new sanctions that was taken by the its foreign ministers on Monday.

The asset freezes and travel bans are to be finalised by a written procedure and could be implemented within a few days.

Navalny, a fierce critic of President Vladimir Putin and prominent anti-corruption campaigner, fell ill on a domestic flight in Siberia on Aug. 20 and was transported to Germany for treatment in a comatose state two days later.

Last week, the Organisation for the Prohibition of Chemical Weapons (OPCW) confirmed that the Soviet-developed nerve agent Novichok – a banned warfare agent – was used in the attack.

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The issues include possible sanctions on Russia for its alleged involvement in the poisoning of opposition politician Alexei Navalny.

France and Germany tabled a proposal for sanctions after an investigation found that Navalny was poisoned with the nerve agent Novichok.

The two countries believe that the poisoning could only have happened with the involvement of Russian authorities, according to a joint press release by German Foreign Minister, Heiko Maas and his counterpart Jean-Yves Le Drian.

The two countries plan to propose sanctions against individuals responsible for the crime and one institution.

But whether the politicians will come to an agreement on sanctions was still uncertain before the meeting, EU diplomats said.

The ministers are also to discuss the EU’s response to ongoing tensions in Belarus.

The bloc imposed new sanctions on 40 officials in early October, but not on President Alexander Lukashenko, an option that is to be discussed on Monday.

According to one EU source, EU ministers would also announce working on sanctions on additional officials.

Another major issue on the agenda would be the bloc’s stance toward the conflict between Armenia and Azerbaijan in the disputed region Nagorno-Karabakh, after both sides accused each other of violating a ceasefire shortly after it came into force on Saturday.

Other issues to be discussed include the situation in Kyrgyzstan, Venezuela and Mozambique.

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The death toll is now 148, with 1,470 people having recovered so far, including 179 in the last 24 hours, Russia’s coronavirus response centre said in a statement.

Moscow, the worst-hit part of the country, confirmed 1,355 new cases in the last 24 hours, with the total number of infected rising to 11,513.

To prevent the spread of coronavirus, President Vladimir Putin extended paid leave for all residents until the end of April.

Nearly all regions have introduced mandatory self-isolation for all residents.

Some regions have slightly eased isolation rules in recent days, with the Moscow region on Monday introducing passes for people wishing to go out for any other reason than walking their dog or visiting the nearest supermarket or pharmacy.

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Malam Garba Shehu, the President’s Senior Special Assistant on Media and Publicity, confirmed this development in a statement in Abuja on Monday.

Our correspondent reports that the affected Nigerians had travelled to Russia for the FIFA 2018 World Cup but got stranded after the competition.

The football fans got stranded in the country following the activities of some unscrupulous travel agents who cancelled their return tickets and abandoned them to their fate.

The presidential aide observed that already the Minister of Foreign Affairs and the Minister of Aviation had in compliance with the President’s directive taken the necessary actions to bring the Nigerians back.

According to Shehu, the Presidential directive is in line with the policy of the current administration to ensure the welfare of all Nigerians in every part of the world.

It would be recalled that the Buhari administration had on several occasions ensured the repatriation of Nigerians from foreign countries like Libya and other conflict zones.

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