Russia on Thursday banned entry to its territory to 29 American personalities, including the leader of Meta, Mark Zuckerberg, and the American Vice-President, Kamala Harris, in response to sanctions against Moscow linked to Ukraine.
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In addition, 61 Canadian personalities, mostly government or military officials, are also targeted by this measure.
These American and Canadian citizens “are prohibited from entering Russia for an indefinite period”, declared the Russian Ministry of Foreign Affairs in two press releases listing the names of the persons concerned.
On the American side, several government officials, such as Deputy Defense Minister Kathleen Hicks and Pentagon spokesperson John Kirby are targeted.
This is also the case for several figures in the worlds of finance, such as the boss of the powerful Bank of America Brian Moynihan, and in the defense industry, such as the leader of Northrop Grumman, Kathy Warden.
Finally, several media personalities were also targeted, including George Stephanopoulos, co-host of ABC’s morning show “Good Morning America”, and David Ignatius, columnist at the Washington Post.
Russian diplomacy explains that it targeted these “journalists and experts” accusing them of defending a “Russophobic agenda”.
On the Canadian side, we find in particular the director of communications for Prime Minister Justin Trudeau, Cameron Ahmad, and the commander of the special forces, Steve Boivin.
Previously, Russia had already sanctioned several hundred American and Canadian figures, including US President Joe Biden and Mr. Trudeau, in response to the punitive measures taken by their countries against Moscow.
The military offensive that Russia has been leading since February 24 against Ukraine has sparked international indignation and a shower of economic sanctions against Moscow.