Russia bans 963 Americans
The Russian Foreign Ministry on Saturday published a list of US nationals permanently banned from entering the country. The blacklist contains 963 individuals accused of anti-Russian activities.
“In response to the continuously imposed anti-Russian sanctions from the US and incoming requests about the exact composition of our national ‘stop list’, the Russian Foreign Ministry has published a list of American citizens who are permanently banned from entering Russia,” the ministry said in a statement.
Many new names have been added to the list in the three months since Russia launched its military operation against Ukraine, causing a downward spiral in relations with Washington. The individuals include US President Joe Biden, his son Hunter, Secretary of State Anthony Blinken and Vice President Kamala Harris.
Russian sanctions have been also slapped on numerous US lawmakers and journalists, the document says. Former White House press secretary Jen Psaki made it onto the Russian list.
Hollywood star Morgan Freeman, 84, is the most high-profile celebrity on the blacklist. Back in 2017, he accused Moscow of meddling in US affairs and targeting the country’s “democracy” amid the fallout of Donald Trump’s election victory and the Russiagate saga. Despite continuous efforts to prove alleged “collusion” between Moscow and Trump or Russian “hacking efforts” to influence the 2016 election, US investigators failed to find any evidence to back up the claims.
