Moscow has barred 500 US people, including former President Barack Obama, from entering the country.
The Russian Foreign Ministry published the list on Friday, stating that the decision was made in reaction to the White House’s announcement of fresh anti-Russia sanctions on May 19.
“As a countermeasure to the anti-Russian sanctions regularly introduced by (President) Joe Biden’s administration, which are designed, according to Washington’s plan, to cause maximum damage to Russia, personally affecting officials and ordinary citizens of our country, the Russian Federation has closed entry for 500 Americans,” the ministry said.
The list includes current chiefs of various levels of executive authority, ex-officials, MPs elected for the first time in November 2022, public personalities, and CEOs of corporations selling weapons to Ukraine, according to the ministry.
Furthermore, Moscow blacklisted those in government and law enforcement organisations “directly involved in the persecution of dissidents in the aftermath of the so-called ‘Capitol Attack.'”
The diplomatic service also announced that it had declined the US Embassy in Moscow’s request to visit journalist Evan Gershkovich, who had been arrested on espionage charges, in response to Washington’s decision to reject Russian journalists’ applications for US visas to accompany Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov during his trip to the UN headquarters in April.