A senior Russian minister has suggested kidnapping Nato's defence minister in Ukraine and bringing them to Moscow for questioning.
It comes shortly after Ukraine's defence minister claimed over 30,000 Russian troops have been killed since the invasion began on February 24. It is also believed that over 40 Russian colonels have been killed in the war alongside 10 generals.
Oleg Morozov, who was first elected to the Russian parliament in 1993, said the supply of western arms to Ukraine posed a direct threat to Russia. He also hinted that Moscow may have to re-examine its military aims as losses continue to pile up.
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Appearing on the 60 Minutes talk show on Russian state TV Mondat, Mr Morozoc mentioned intercepting the Nato defence minister as they travel to Kyiv by train and "then we would sort out who gave which order for what, who is responsible for what exactly".
He added: "It is not such a mythical picture ... There are new rules in the world now. Let all those war ministers gathering in Kyiv think a little about what it would be like to wake up in Moscow.”
It is not the first time Russia has warned that western weapon supplies to Ukraine posed the risk of escalating the war in the face of Western nations increasing their support for Kyiv's struggle. Meanwhile, the Czech Republic's foreign ministry has summoned Russia's ambassador to express concern over the use of Russian diplomacy.
Previously, the Czech Republic expelled around 100 Russian embassy delegates due to a row with Russia over their involvement in a 2014 explosion at an arms depot. In a statement, foreign minister Jan Lipavsky said: "Diplomatic missions on the territory of a foreign state must respect not only the Vienna Convention on Diplomatic Relations, but also the rules and laws of the host country. Russia does not do this and does not respect the rule of law."
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