Russia announced today, Friday, the imposition of sanctions on a number of officials in the institutions of the European Union and its member states, in response to the recent punitive measures by Brussels.

The Russian Foreign Ministry confirmed that it bans eight European officials from traveling to its territory, in response to the European Council’s adoption on March 2 and 22 of restrictive measures against six Russian citizens.

The new Russian blacklist includes:

- European Parliament President David Maria Sassoli

- Chief Public Prosecutor in the German capital, Berlin, Joerg Rabach

- Vice President of the European Commission for Values ​​and Transparency, Vera Yurova

Member of the French delegation to the Parliamentary Assembly of the Council of Europe, Jacques Mir

Asa Scott, head of the Chemical, Biological, Radiological and Nuclear Protection and Security Laboratory of the Swedish Defense Research Agency

Ivars Apollensch, deputy of the National Council for Electronic Media in Latvia

Mari Paltench, director of the Official Language Center in Latvia

- Head of Language Department Elmar Tomosk in Estonia

The ministry stressed that the European Union’s continued pursuit of a policy of unilateral illegal restrictive measures against Russian institutions and citizens contradicts the United Nations Charter and international law, with the potential for Western media to be responsible for fueling anti-Russian hysteria.

The ministry accused the European Union of ignoring or rejecting any Russian proposals aimed at resolving the outstanding problems through professional dialogue, adding: “These actions by the European Union leave no room for doubt that their real goal is to curb the development of our country at any cost and impose the concept of (a constructed global order). On the rules) that undermine international law, and a clear challenge to the independence of Russia's foreign and domestic policies, in an open and systematic manner, naturally with the knowledge and encouragement of the United States, which does not hide its interest in transforming Europe into a game of severe geopolitical confrontation.