Russia published its updated “stop list” on Saturday, banning a total of 963 American officials and figures from entering the country.
The updated list included the majority of US senators and members of the House of Representatives, former and current government officials, journalists, military personnel, advocates, citizens, CEOs — and even a few deceased individuals.
Longtime Arizona. Sen. John McCain and Defense Intelligence Agency Deputy Director Melissa Drisko, who both died in 2018, were included on the list.
Russia also targeted Hollywood, with actor Morgan Freeman and actor/filmmaker Rob Reiner making the list. In 2017, Reiner was involved in promoting the group The Committee to Investigate Russia, and Freeman was featured in a video on the site.
Mike Pompeo, former Secretary of State under President Donald Trump, was also listed. He previously spoke to Russian President Vladimir Putin about its election interference in US elections.
The ministry accused the people on the list of inciting “Russophobia”.
(These) counter sanctions are a necessity and are directed to make the ruling US regime, which tries to impose a neocolonial ‘rules-based world order’ on the rest of the world, change its behavior by realizing a new geopolitical reality.”
The growing list also includes several CNN contributors, though listed for their former duties, not their CNN association. They are David Axelrod, John Kasich, Wesley Clark, James Clapper, and Susan Glasser.
CNN’s Nick Paton Walsh, International Security Editor, is also on the stop list. Walsh is a British citizen.
In a separate announcement on Saturday, the Russian Foreign Ministry announced the names of 26 Canadians barred from entering the country, including Prime Minister Justin Trudeau and his wife Sophie Gregoire Trudeau.
