Russia has permanently barred almost 1,000 prominent Americans from entering their country, a move made in response to economic sanctions the U.S. has placed on them due to the invasion of Ukraine.
The list was announced by the Russian Foreign Ministry. Most of the inclusions were not surprising, with people like Joe Biden, Kamala Harris and Hillary Clinton high on the list. Other people banned included Meta CEO Mark Zuckerberg and actor Morgan Freeman.
“Russian counter-sanctions are forced and aimed at forcing the American ruling regime, which is trying to impose a neo-colonial ‘rules-based world order’ on the rest of the world, to change its behavior, recognizing new geopolitical realities,” the ministry said in a statement.
Some interesting omissions from the banned list are the three past Presidents of the United States. George W. Bush, Barack Obama and finally Donald Trump did not appear on this list. Trump has touted that he had a “close relationship” with Vladimir Putin while he was in office, and there were of course allegations of collusion with Russia that continue to swirl around him and his 2016 campaign.
Along with members of the current Biden administration, several members of Congress will have to cancel any coming Russian vacations including House Speaker Nancy Pelosi, Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer, Rep. Alexandria Ocasio Cortez, Sen. Ted Cruz and Rep. Marjorie Taylor Greene.
Interestingly, Republican Sens. Rand Paul and Mitch McConnell were also not included on the banned list.
Several people who work in media also got the boot from Russia, including reporters from ABC News and The New York Times. The Russian foreign ministry also explained that acclaimed actor Morgan Freeman was banned for his participation in a video that was “accusing Russia of conspiring against the United States and calling for a fight against our country.”
Earlier this week, Musk and Vivek Ramaswamy delivered passionate tirades over whether Americans or Asian…
The tour is in support of the band’s 2020 album Power Up, which topped at…
A sign of his improving health, Bolton has intentions of returning to the stage soon…
Interestingly, most internet users' anger over Beyoncé's offensive motion quickly shifted to derogatory remarks about…
He shared, I’m very proud to be part of television in that era."
At an intimate party, Paulina Gretzky celebrated turning 36 last week with her husband, golf…