Moscow bans more EU officials from entering
The Foreign Ministry says the move is a tit-for-tat response after the European Union before Christmas adopted a set of restrictive measures against the Wagner Group, a Russian private military company.
“Guided by the principle of reciprocity and parity, the Russian side decided to expand the response list of representatives of EU member states and institutions who are prohibited from entering the territory of the Russian Federation,” the Foreign Ministry statement says.
The names of the blacklisted people are not published, making it unclear for the public how many and who they are.
The ministry, however, says the sanctioned are leaders of individual European PMCs (Private Military Companies), representatives of law enforcement agencies, legislative and executive authorities of a number of EU member states “who are personally responsible for promoting anti-Russian policies and imposing measures that infringe on the legitimate rights on Russian-speaking residents and the media.”
It was in December last year the European Council imposed sanctions against the Wagner Group PMC and eight individuals, arguing they are “involved in serious human rights abuses, including torture and extrajudicial, summary or arbitrary executions and killings.”
Wagner Group, the EU says, is “violating international law and international human rights law” in Ukraine (Donbas), Libya, Syria and the Central African Republic.
The new round of sanctions comes amid increased tensions between Russia and the West over Ukraine and the general security landscape in Europe.
