Russia bans 500 US citizens, including Obama and talk show hosts.

Russia Bans 500 Americans, Including Obama, from Entering the Country

On Friday, the Russian Foreign Ministry made a bold move by announcing that 500 U.S. citizens, including former President Barack Obama, have been banned from entering the country with immediate effect.

The Reason Behind the Ban

The Russian Foreign Ministry stated that the decision comes in response to the U.S. refusal last month to give visas to Russian journalists traveling with the foreign minister, Sergei Lavrov, to attend the United Nations Security Council.

The statement also mentioned the anti-Russian sanctions imposed by the Joe Biden administration, which are designed to inflict maximum damage on Russia by personally affecting officials and ordinary citizens of the country. As a countermeasure, entry into the Russian Federation is closed for 500 Americans.

Who’s on the Blacklist?

Aside from Obama, the Russian blacklist includes many governors and members of Congress, both Democrat and Republican; attorney-generals—current and former—from twenty U.S. states; former officials on board of think tanks “involved in spreading Russophobic fabrications and fakes,” and heads of defense industry companies supplying weapons to Ukraine.

The statement also singles out Nina Jankowicz, former head of the Biden administration’s short-lived Disinformation Governance Board.

The attached ‘500 list’ also includes those in the government and law enforcement agencies who were directly involved in the persecution of dissidents following the so-called ‘storming of the Capitol.’ This includes U.S. Attorney Matthew Graves and his predecessor Michael Sherwin, as well as Michael Leroy Byrd, the police officer who shot and killed Ashli Babbitt during the Capitol riot.

The Kremlin’s Response

The Kremlin also refused to grant the U.S. embassy’s request for a consular visit to Evan Gershkovich, the Wall Street Journal reporter detained in Russia on charges of espionage.

This move by Russia is a clear indication of the escalating tensions between the two countries. It remains to be seen how the U.S. will respond to this ban.