Joe Biden, Mark Zuckerberg, Morgan Freeman... Russian diplomacy published on Saturday a list of 963 American personalities who were banned from entering Russia, in retaliation for similar sanctions imposed by Washington since the offensive in Ukraine.
The Russian Foreign Ministry has made the document public on its website. It includes primarily government officials, parliamentarians, but also members of US civil society.
Moscow had already announced these sanctions against many of the personalities present on the list, in particular US President Joe Biden, his Secretary of State Antony Blinken, the head of the Pentagon Lloyd Austin, or the general director of Meta Mark Zuckerberg.
The list also includes Hollywood actor Morgan Freeman, who had not been publicly sanctioned until now. Russian diplomacy accuses him of having recorded a video in 2017 in which he claimed that Russia was carrying out a "plot" against the United States.
"Russian counter-sanctions are necessary and are aimed at forcing the US power, which is trying to impose a neo-colonial world order on the rest of the planet (...) to change its position and recognize new geopolitical realities," reads the Ministry's text of Foreign Affairs of Russia. It also ensures that Moscow remains open to "honest dialogue" and distinguishes the American people from the authorities who "incite Russophobia."
Since the offensive in Ukraine, Russian diplomacy has deprived hundreds of Anglo-Saxon personalities of entry to Russia, including members of the UK government including Boris Johnson. He also today announced that he had taken this action against 26 other Canadians, including Sophie Trudeau, the wife of the Canadian Prime Minister.
Moscow's retaliation comes after the US president ratified the new legislative package of military and humanitarian aid to Ukraine worth 40,000 million dollars to support Kyiv against the Russian invasion of the country. The new package is based on sending more weapons and ammunition to Ukraine, although it also includes direct economic assistance and humanitarian aid, such as food shipments. Its approval comes after the 13.6 billion aid package approved by the US Congress in March is exhausted
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