Russia has slapped sanctions on 100 Canadians, banning them from entering the Russian Federation in reprisal for similar sanctions that have been imposed by Ottawa on hundreds of Russians over Moscow's ongoing war in Ukraine.
The Russian Foreign Ministry announced the bans on Monday, saying the affected individuals included officials, business leaders, and people with "media and financial structures that are directly involved in the formation of an aggressive anti-Russian course."
Among them was 60-year-old actor and comedian Jim Carrey as well as journalists, including state-broadcaster CBC's Murray Brewster, Margaret Evans, and Adrienne Arsenault.
Russia said it decided on the new round of sanctions "in response to the practice, implemented by Justin Trudeau's regime, of imposing sanctions against the Russian leadership, politicians and parliamentarians, business representatives, experts and journalists, cultural figures."
Canada has sanctioned more than 1,400 individuals and entities in Russia, Ukraine, and Belarus since the beginning of the Ukraine war on February 24.
The Kremlin says it launched what it calls a special military operation in order to defend the pro-Russian population in the eastern Ukrainian regions of Donetsk and Luhansk against persecution by Kiev.
Back in April, Russia imposed sanctions on hundreds of US lawmakers and dozens of Canadian senators in retaliation for similar measures by Washington and Ottawa against more than 300 Russian legislators.
Issuing two statements, the Russian Foreign Ministry said Moscow was imposing sanctions on 398 members of the House of Representatives of the US Congress and against 87 senators of the Canadian Parliament.
The ministry added that the sanctions were introduced to mirror the punitive measures by Washington and Ottawa on March 24 over Russia’s military operation in Ukraine, but gave few details apart from saying that all those on the list will be barred from visiting Russia.
Most recently, Russia banned as many as 200 American nationals from entering the country in reaction to the sanctions that Washington had imposed on Moscow.
The Russian ministry identified some of the affected individuals as a sister and two brothers of US President Joe Biden and White House press secretary Karine Jean-Pierre as well as US senators Bernie Sanders and Elizabeth Warren.