Russia retaliates with blacklist on US officials

The Russian Foreign Ministry reports that it has approved the list of US officials who are banned from entering Russia. The list is classified, but media suggests that it includes people connected with the Bout and Yaroshenko cases.

The document is a mirror response to the recent US initiative to introduce visa restrictions on a number of Russian officials. Initially the US Congress considered the possibility of banning several dozen Russian officials from entering the country, announcing it as a punishment for those who had any relationship with the so-called Magnitsky case – the death of a Russian lawyer from the international investment fund Hermitage Capital in a Russian prison, pending trial over a large-scale tax evasion. However, later the State Department prepared and introduced a shorter blacklist which, it claimed, would tone down the tensions between the two countries.

Russia blasted the US actions as unfriendly from the very beginning, pointing out that this was an attempt to pressure justice and the politically-motivated sanction was exercised ahead of the court ruling. The US side observed that the blacklist was not essentially a ban, but rather advice to diplomats to pay special attention to certain persons if they seek a US visa.

At the same time, Russia did not introduce its own blacklist for several months, attempting to resolve the scandal through diplomatic channels. But eventually the Russian Foreign Ministry had to approve “the list of US citizens whose presence in the Russian Federation is considered unwanted, that consists of high-placed Washington officials complicit in resonant crimes in the humanitarian sphere.”

Russia retaliates with blacklist on US officials


Just as the cold war began to thaw, temperatures began to plummet as Russia and the US ban each others high level officials from entering their respective countries. It's starting to get mighty cold around here again.

wait wait.. are you suggesting that Russia DOESN'T like the U.S.!? When did this start happening!?

reply to post by 31Bravo


Liking each other and playing nice in the sandbox are mutually exclusive. We either share our toys regardless of likes and dislikes for the betterment of everyone in the sandbox, or we start to get selfish. They were playing nice for a little while.

I get your sarcasm though.

I hope that War Hawk and Big War Mouth John McCain is banned to Enter Russia Forever.

Maybe we could ban John McCain from leaving Arizona.

reply to post by FarmerGeneral


You consider a diplomatic tit for tat breaking new? Is this ATS or Yahoo i think i might be on the wrong site.

reply to post by 31Bravo


Um did Russia Like anyone? Oh, Idk, Okay