Russia said Friday it would ban many European Union officials from entering Russia as retaliation to restrictions imposed by Brussels on Moscow, but did not say how many people were on the list or their names.
Russia’s foreign ministry said in a statement that Russia had warned the EU not to impose unilateral sanctions on Russia and that Moscow had openly stated that it reserved the right to respond in kind.
“The Russian side, guided by the principle of reciprocity and parity, has decided to expand the list of representatives of EU member states and institutions that are barred from entering the territory of the Russian Federation,” the Russian Foreign Ministry said in a statement.
The entry ban will apply to executives of European Private Military Companies (PMCs) and government officials who are personally responsible for their anti-Russian policies.
The statement added: “The list includes European PMC leaders in various parts of the world, as well as representatives of the security services, legislative and executive authorities of many EU Member States, who are personally responsible for promoting anti-Russian policies and imposing measures that violate the legal rights of Russian-speaking residents and the media.”
The Russian Foreign Ministry states that the European Union delegation in Russia has been informed about this decision. The European Commission has not yet commented on this decision.
