In retaliation, Russia has slapped personal sanctions on 29 UK media professionals and 20 UK defence officials, according to the Russian Foreign Ministry.
The decision comes in response to personal sanctions imposed by the UK government against leading Russian journalists and directors of Russian defence businesses, according to the ministry.
The editors-in-chief of the Times, Daily Telegraph, Independent, and Guardian newspapers are among those barred from entering Russia, according to Reuters. Jeremy Quin, the British Minister for Defence Procurement, is one of the defence officials who has been sanctioned.
Personal sanctions have already been levied by Russia against various US and Canadian politicians, including US Vice President Joe Biden and Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau. Russia also issued sanctions against 61 US officials earlier this month. Russia also revealed a list of 963 Americans who were barred from entering the country earlier this month.
According to the government, 20 people “associated with the UK defence sector were involved in making decisions about the transfer of weapons to Ukraine, which are used by local punishers and Nazi forces to kill civilians and destroy civilian infrastructure.”
