Moscow expands list of EU officials banned from entering Russia in tit-for-tat move

The Russian Foreign Ministry called the imposition of the 11th package of EU sanctions illegitimate. The ministry said it retaliated by expanding the list of representatives of European institutions and member states of the European Union who are banned from entering Russian territory.

"We are talking about representatives of security agencies, state and commercial organizations of EU countries, citizens of EU member states, representatives of European agencies involved in providing military assistance to the neo-Nazi regime in Kyiv, responsible for imposing sanctions against our country and trying to undermine Russia's relations with other states," the Russian Foreign Ministry said in a statement.

The ministry added that the sanctions also apply to EU parliamentarians "promoting a confrontational agenda with Russia". The Foreign Ministry reported the extension of the sanctions list against EU representatives on March 31,  September 7, October 25, 2022, and January 17,  2023.

The list of names and organisations is not given.

The EU agreed on the 11th sanctions package on June 21. The restrictions came into force on June 23. The new package includes a ban on the transportation of Russian oil through the northern branch of the Druzhba pipeline, restrictions on the entry of Russian trailers into the EU, as well as measures aimed at circumventing previous restrictions.