The Russian Foreign Ministry announced on Wednesday (August 28th) the implementation of a new round of sanctions against the United States, adding 92 American citizens to the entry ban list. Among them are journalists, politicians, and businessmen who have worked in Russia before.
In a statement, the Russian Foreign Ministry called the ban a “response” to the Biden administration’s anti-Russia policies, which aim to “bring strategic failure to Moscow.”
The statement mentioned that the list “includes editorial staff and journalists from major liberal global media outlets who have been involved in fabricating and spreading false narratives about Russia and the Russian armed forces, as well as promoting Washington’s hybrid warfare.”
The new sanctions list includes 14 current or former employees of The Wall Street Journal, including the editor-in-chief Emma Tucker. She has publicly criticized Russia for the arrest and conviction of the newspaper’s former Moscow correspondent Evan Gershkovich on espionage charges.
Gershkovich was arrested in Russia while reporting there in March last year and was released in August this year as part of a prisoner exchange between Russia and Western countries after spending 16 months in prison.
The list also includes 5 New York Times reporters, 4 Washington Post reporters, and several journalists from British newspapers. In addition, some state prosecutors, employees of U.S. defense industry companies, and university professors have also been banned from entering Russia.
A spokesperson for The Wall Street Journal stated in a release, “The Putin regime’s comprehensive assault on press freedom and truth has always been laughable. This absurd target list is no exception.”
The conflict in Ukraine has plunged Moscow’s relations with the United States into the most serious crisis since the Cold War. According to a list from the Russian Foreign Ministry, Russia has already banned over two thousand Americans from entering the country.
Last Friday (August 23rd), the U.S. Treasury Department announced a series of new sanctions targeting 400 entities and individuals from Russia, Belarus, China, and others for allegedly aiding Russia in evading U.S. sanctions and supporting its invasion of Ukraine.
(This article has referenced relevant reports from the Associated Press and Reuters)