Russia banned Obama from entering

The Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Russia announced on Thursday that 500 citizens of the United States will be banned from entering the country "in response to anti-Russian sanctions regularly imposed by the administration of Joe Biden."

Source: European Pravda reports with reference to the statement of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of the Russian Federation.

Details: Former US President Barack Obama, "current heads of various levels of executive power", members of Congress, former White House officials, and think tank employees, whom Moscow accuses of "Russophobia", are among those prohibited entry to Russia.

Also, according to the statement, the Russian stop list "includes those in power and law enforcement structures who are directly involved in the persecution of dissidents following the so-called 'storming of the Capitol'".

The list includes the former Ukrainian Finance Minister Nataliia Yaresko and comedians Jimmy Kimmel and Stephen Colbert. 

Quote: "It is high time for Washington to learn that no hostile attack against Russia will remain without a harsh response. The principle of inevitability of punishment will be consistently applied," the Russian Foreign Ministry added.

Separately, the agency said it would not allow American consuls to visit The Wall Street Journal journalist Evan Gershkovich, detained in Russia on charges of espionage in response to the refusal to issue visas to Russian propagandists who were supposed to go to the UN headquarters in New York. 

This is not the first time that Moscow has banned the entry of US citizens in response to US sanctions due to the full-scale invasion of Ukraine. In February, for example, 77 Americans heading state governments, a number of federal departments, and companies involved in supplying arms to Ukraine were put on the stop list. 

Background:

On Friday, the administration of US President Joe Biden added 71 companies to the trade blacklist for supporting Russia.

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