Russia to expand blacklist of EU officials
The Russian Ministry of Foreign Affairs will expand the list of EU member state representatives that are banned from entering Russia, according to an official statement released by the ministry.
The ministry indicated that the European Union has recently taken unilateral restrictive measures against Russians.
“For this reason, Russia will expand a reciprocal list of EU member state representatives and EU institutions that are banned from entering the territory of the Russian Federation. The number of persons on Russia’s list will now be equal to the number on the European Union’s list,” reads the statement of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs.
The ministry also noted that it informed the EU delegation about the decision.
As of March 2019, the EU blacklisted 177 people and 44 organizations in response to the Ukrainian crisis. Their assets in the European Union were frozen and they are prohibited from travelling to member countries.
The restrictive measures were introduced in March 2014. In March 2019, they were extended to September 15, 2019.