Former US President Barack Obama, late-night television host Stephen Colbert and CNN’s Erin Burnett are among the “500 Americans” banned from entering the country by Russia.
The Russian government announced in a statement on Friday that it would ban the entry of “500 Americans”, key members of the US administration, “in response to routine anti-Russian sanctions imposed by the Joe Biden administration.” foreign Ministry.
The list includes Obama, former US ambassador Jon Huntsman, several US senators and Charles Q. Brown Jr., who is expected to be the next chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff.
The list of wacky names also includes American late night TV hosts Jimmy Kimmel, Colbert and Seth Meyers.
“The attached ‘List-500’ also includes those in government and law enforcement directly involved in the persecution of dissidents following the so-called Capitol riots,” the statement said. On January 6, 2021, dozens of supporters of former US President Donald Trump stormed the US Capitol in an attempt to block Biden’s presidential certification.
Russian President Vladimir Putin questioned the arrest of rioters months later, saying that people had come to parliament with “political demands”.
Friday’s roster also included CNN anchor Erin Burnett, CNN senior international security correspondent Nick Paton Walsh, senior global affairs analyst Brianna Golodryga, and CNN contributor Timothy Naftali. This is an update to a long posted list of approved individuals including Timothy Naftali.
Although the list is labeled “500 Americans”, Peyton Walsh is a British citizen.
The Defense Ministry justified the ban in a statement posted on its website.
It did not specify the complaints against each individual or explain what the restrictions meant beyond a ban on entry.
The State Department cited the visit of Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov and the US Embassy’s consular access to American journalist Ivan Gershkovich “because he did not issue visas to Russian journalists in Lavrov’s pool.” He said they keep denying the request. , US in April