Moscow bans 500 Americans, including Obama, from entering Russia
Russia has banned 500 Americans, including former US President Barack Obama, from entering the country in retaliation for the latest round of sanctions imposed by the US.
“In response to the anti-Russian sanctions regularly imposed by the Biden administration... entry into the Russian Federation is closed for 500 Americans,” the Russian foreign ministry said in a statement on Friday.
It added that Obama was among those on the list, which also included television hosts Stephen Colbert, Jimmy Kimmel and Seth Meyers, as well as CNN anchor Erin Burnett and MSNBC presenters Rachel Maddow and Joe Scarborough.
Earlier in the day, the US blacklisted hundreds more companies and individuals that import ship, or manufacture electronics components, semiconductors, and microelectronics to Russia over the war in Ukraine.
“Today’s actions will further tighten the vise on [Vladimir] Putin’s ability to wage his barbaric invasion and will advance our global efforts to cut off Russian attempts to evade sanctions,” US treasury secretary, Janet Yellen, said in a statement.
The treasury department also said it was imposing sanctions on Russia’s energy, educational and research institutions in a bid to “limit Russia’s future extractive capabilities.”
The sanctions also include the entities related to the recent agreement between Iran and Russia to build a railway section of the North-South Corridor.
Tehran has also slammed Washington’s sanctions, saying that the Rasht-Astara railway project is part of its neighbor-oriented strategy, which is based on cooperation for security, development, and common prosperity.
In its Friday statement, the Russian Foreign Ministry said Washington “should have learned a long time ago that not a single hostile step against Russia will be left unanswered.”
It further said that Moscow blacklisted senators, congressmen and members of think tanks “involved in the spread of Russophobic attitudes and fakes” and the heads of companies that “supply weapons to Ukraine.”
Moscow had already imposed sanctions on US President Joe Biden, Secretary of State Antony Blinken, and dozens of other top officials last year, banning them from entering Russia in response to the Biden administration’s “extremely Russophobic policy.”
Among the targeted individuals were Biden’s son Hunter, former presidential candidate Hillary Clinton, CIA chief William Burns, White House Press Secretary Jen Psaki, Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff Mark Milley, and National Security Advisor Jake Sullivan.
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