On Friday, the Russian Foreign Ministry announced that 500 U.S. citizens—including former President Barack Obama—have been banned from entering the country with immediate effect.
In a statement, the Russian Foreign Ministry said that the decision comes in response to the U.S. refusal last month to give visas to Russian journalists traveling with the foreign minister, Sergei Lavrov, to attend the United Nations Security Council.
“In response to the regularly imposed anti-Russian sanctions by the [President] Joe Biden administration, which, according to Washington’s plan, are designed to inflict maximum damage on Russia by personally affecting officials and ordinary citizens of our country, as a countermeasure, entry into the Russian Federation is closed for 500 Americans,” the statement read….