Russia imposed personal sanctions on 25 Americans this Monday, including actors Sean Penn and Ben Stiller, in response to US sanctions against Russians stemming from the conflict in Ukraine.
US Commerce Secretary Gina Raimondo was on the new sanctions list, as were several US senators: Arizona’s Mark Kelly and Kyrsten Sinema, North Dakota’s Kevin Cramer, South Dakota’s Mike Rounds, Rick Scott from Florida and Pat Toomey from Pennsylvania.
The Russian Foreign Ministry said the group, which also included business leaders, academics and government officials, would be permanently banned from entering Russia.
Previous rounds of Russian sanctions against Americans have included President Joe Biden and members of his family, as well as lawmakers and business leaders. The United States has sanctioned numerous Russians, including government officials and businessmen.
Penn and Stiller have been outspoken critics of the Russian invasion of Ukraine. Penn is an activist involved in relief work, among other causes. Stiller is a goodwill ambassador for the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees.