On Monday, the Russian authorities issued the permanent ban of 25 additional Americans, including actors Sean Penn and Ben Stiller.
The sanctions, according to Moscow’s foreign ministry, are a response to the “ever-expanding personal sanctions” imposed by Washington.
There are also a number of US senators on the list, including the Democrats from Arizona, Kyrsten Sinema and Mark Kelly, the Republicans Rick Scott from Florida, Pat Toomey from Pennsylvania, and Kevin Cramer from North Dakota.
Along with Matthew Axelrod, the assistant secretary of commerce for export enforcement, the Biden administration’s secretary of commerce Gina Raimondo has also received a sanction.
A reason or method for selecting the sanctioned Americans was not further explained in the announcement.
Since Russian leader Vladimir Putin authorised a savage and unjustified invasion of Ukraine on February 24, the US has imposed sanctions on a number of Russian officials and elites with ties to the Kremlin.
Hollywood’s loudest opponents of Russia’s aggression, actors Penn and Stiller, have both travelled to Kyiv and met with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky.
While Russia continues to invade Ukraine, actor and filmmaker Sean Penn meets with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky in Kyiv. June 28, 2022
Hollywood actor and Goodwill Ambassador Ben Stiller meets with Ukraine’s President Volodymyr Zelensky, as Russia’s attack on Ukraine continues, in Kyiv, Ukraine June 20, 2022
Several US senators were sanctioned by Russia on Monday, including Democratic Senator Kyrsten Sinema (seen on August 6, 2022).
In addition to acting in Hollywood movies, Penn is well-known for his global activism work. He was in Ukraine at the outset of the invasion to begin filming a documentary about the brutal assault, and he has since visited again and again.
Stiller serves as a goodwill representative for the UNHCR. At the end of June, the “Zoolander” actor paid a visit to Ukraine and dubbed Zelensky his “hero.”
US sanctions are aimed at both Russian organisations and people, including Putin and his closest lieutenants.
President Joe Biden and his family, several television news anchors, policy experts, and other well-known individuals have all been sanctioned by Russia in response.
The Biden administration finally took action last month to sanction Alina Kabaeva, the alleged lover of Putin and the purported mother of four of the autocrat’s children.
After six months had passed since Russia’s invasion, the Treasury Department sanctioned a number of elites with ties to the Kremlin, including Kabaeva, the head of a pro-Putin media organisation and a former renowned gymnast.
Currently being updated…