Russia’s foreign ministry has added 92 Americans, including journalists, law enforcement officials, and tech leaders, to its list of people banned from entering the country.
In an Aug. 28 statement regarding the move, the ministry said it was in response to the “Russophobic course pursued by the Biden administration with the declared goal of ‘inflicting a strategic defeat on Moscow.’”
“Which includes blanket sanctions on Russian politicians, business leaders, researchers, cultural figures, journalists, and media outlets, entry into the Russian Federation shall be permanently denied to 92 US citizens,” the ministry added.
In response to the invasion of Ukraine in 2022, the United States, the European Union, and other allies have enacted various sanctions against Russian businesses and individuals, including billionaire Russian oligarchs and their close family members.
Among the new names added to the no-entry list by Russia are 11 current and former staff members of the American newspaper The Wall Street Journal. Other newspaper staff, including five New York Times journalists and four from The Washington Post, are also among the new additions.
There are also CEOs of software and tech companies, military personnel, and a few university professors who have all been flagged by Russia’s Foreign Ministry. It’s unclear whether all are American citizens or just have ties to the country.
Russia’s foreign ministry said the journalists are all “leading liberal-globalist publications involved in the production and dissemination of fakes about Russia and the Russian armed forces.”
The stop-list also includes “senior executives and officials of various levels from law enforcement agencies and special services, heads of key defence companies and financial institutions which supply weapons to the Armed Forces of Ukraine and sponsor the Kyiv regime,” the ministry said.
Others on the list have been barred entry into Russia for alleged “anti-Russia activities” and in response to a “sanction frenzy” from U.S. officials. Last week, the Biden administration unveiled sweeping new sanctions against almost 400 individuals and companies tied to Russia’s offensive in Ukraine.
It’s not the first time Russia has issued a list of Americans barred from entering the country. Last year, Moscow released another no-entry list that included former U.S. President Barack Obama, several senators, late night TV host Stephen Colbert, and other high-profile names.
According to the Russian Foreign Ministry’s list, more than 2,000 Americans are currently barred from entering Russia. In June, the country also blocked 81 Western media sites from 25 European nations, accusing them of distributing inaccurate information about the war in Ukraine.
