Russia bans nine New Zealand officials in retaliation for sanctions

Russian authorities have imposed entry bans on nine officials from New Zealand as part of new sanctions, prohibiting them from entering Russia.

This move was announced on the official website of the Russian Federation’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs, Caliber.Az reports referencing Russian media sources.

According to the statement, Moscow's decision was in response to New Zealand’s support of what it termed the “Russophobic campaign of the collective West,” specifically citing unjustified sanctions imposed by Wellington against Russian individuals and entities.

The ban targets nine officials from New Zealand's Ministry of Defence and Armed Forces, including high-ranking officials such as Brook Barrington, First Deputy Head of the Ministry of Defense; Andrew Brown, Commander of the Navy; and Sarah Minson, Deputy Defense Minister. Additional officials barred from entry include New Zealand’s deputy defence chiefs Anton Youngman, Richard Schmidt, and Mel Childs, as well as Air Force deputy commanders Daniel D.J. Hunt and Andy Scott, and the head of army personnel services, Jacinda Funnell.

The Russian Foreign Ministry emphasized that it will continue updating the "stop list" of banned individuals as long as New Zealand persists with its current policies and sanctions against Russia.

On September 24, New Zealand imposed a fresh wave of sanctions against Russia over the Ukraine conflict, affecting five individuals and six entities. New Zealand’s Foreign Minister Winston Peters highlighted Russia’s occupation of Ukraine’s Zaporizhzhya nuclear power plant as a grave nuclear safety risk, calling for Russia to withdraw. These sanctions are directed at entities connected with the plant’s occupation, which, according to Peters, poses a serious threat to nuclear safety.

To date, New Zealand has sanctioned over 1,700 Russian individuals and entities and has implemented multiple trade restrictions in response to the conflict.

By Tamilla Hasanova