Russia bans 500 Americans, including Obama 2023

Russia announced on Friday that it has banned the entrance of 500 Americans, including former president Barack Obama, in response to sanctions imposed by the United States government.

“In response to the regular anti-Russian sanctions imposed by the Biden administration, 500 Americans have been banned from entering the Russian Federation,” the foreign ministry said, adding that Obama was on the list.

The United States added hundreds more companies and individuals to its sanctions blacklist on Friday, expanding its efforts to strangle Russia’s economy over its offensive in Ukraine.

500 Americans, including President Obama, have been denied entrance to Russia.

The foreign ministry stated that Washington should have learned a long time ago that no hostile action against Russia will go unanswered.

Television personalities Stephen Colbert, Jimmy Kimmel, and Seth Meyers were among those named.

Also included were CNN anchor Erin Burnett and MSNBC hosts Rachel Maddow and Joe Scarborough.

Russia stated that it had placed on its blacklist senators, legislators, and members of think tanks “involved in the spread of Russophobic attitudes and fakes” as well as the CEOs of companies “supplying weapons to Ukraine.”

In the same statement, Russia stated that it had denied consular access to detained American journalist Evan Gershkovich, who was apprehended in March on suspicion of espionage.

The refusal was precipitated by Washington’s refusal to issue visas to correspondents accompanying Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov to the United Nations in April.