War in Ukraine: Russia bans 29 Americans and 61 Canadians from entering its territory

Sergei Lavrov, the Russian Minister of Foreign Affairs (illustration image).

© POOL / REUTERS

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Russia on Thursday banned the entry into its territory of 29 American personalities, including the leader of Meta, Mark Zuckerberg, and the American Vice-President, Kamala Harris, in reaction to sanctions against Moscow linked to Ukraine.

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In addition to the 29 American personalities banned from entering Russian territory, 61 Canadian personalities, mostly government or military officials, were also targeted by this measure.

These American and Canadian citizens " 

are prohibited from entering Russia for an indefinite period 

", declared the Russian Ministry of Foreign Affairs in two press releases listing the names of the persons concerned.

On the American side, several government officials, such as Vice President Kamala Harris, Deputy Defense Minister Kathleen Hicks and Pentagon spokesperson John Kirby are targeted.

This is also the case for several figures in the worlds of finance, such as Mark Zuckerberg, the CEO of Meta, the boss of the powerful Bank of America Brian Moynihan, and in the defense industry, such as the leader of Northrop Grumman. , Kathy Warden.

Targeted media personalities

Finally, several media personalities were also targeted, including George Stephanopoulos, co-host of ABC's morning show “Good Morning America,” and

Washington Post

columnist David Ignatius .

Russian diplomacy explains that it has targeted these “

 journalists and experts 

” accusing them of defending a “

 Russophobic agenda

 ”.

On the Canadian side, we find in particular the director of communications for

Prime Minister Justin Trudeau

, Cameron Ahmad, and the commander of the special forces, Steve Boivin.

Previously, Russia had already sanctioned several hundred American and Canadian figures, including

US President Joe Biden

and Justin Trudeau, in response to the punitive measures taken by their countries against Moscow.

The military offensive that Russia has been leading since February 24 against Ukraine has sparked international indignation and a shower of economic sanctions against Moscow.

(

With

AFP)

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