Russian authorities on Monday banned a hundred Canadian citizens from entering the country in response to sanctions introduced by Ottawa, which earlier in the day placed a further 23 officials on its ‘blacklist’ of restrictions because of the invasion of Ukraine.
The Russian Foreign Ministry has indicated in a statement that «in response to the current practice of the Canadian regime to sanction leaders of Russia, politicians, parliamentarians, businessmen and artists, as well as anyone uncomfortable for the Russophobic authorities (…), 100 Canadian citizens are banned from entering.»
The list includes high-ranking officials, businessmen and activists «linked to the creation of an aggressive anti-Russian discourse», as stated in the text, which includes the names of the citizens who are now banned from entering the country.
Previously, the Canadian government has announced the sending of another 500 million Canadian dollars (364 million euros) in military assistance to Ukraine in addition to the inclusion in the ‘blacklist’ of the twenty or so officials.
This brings the total number of Russian individuals and entities sanctioned since the «illegal and unprovoked» invasion of Ukraine began in late February to more than 1,400. «This additional military assistance will support Ukrainians as they continue to fight valiantly against Vladimir Putin’s illegal invasion, while these new sanctions will put additional pressure on those who support these acts of war,» said Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau.
