89 from EU on Russia’s blacklist

MOSCOW – A Russian opposition lawmaker has said in a formal inquiry that Foreign Affairs Minister Sergei Lavrov needs to explain why 89 politicians from 17 European countries have been banned from entering Russia. Lawmaker Dmitry Gudkov said on May 31 that Lavrov also needed to confirm the names of all 89 individuals included in the ban. The blacklist comes amid tensions between Moscow and the West over Russia’s seizure and annexation of Crimea in March 2014 and its support for pro-Russian separatists in eastern Ukraine. The EU has imposed sanctions, including asset freezes and travel bans, on 151 Russians and pro-Russian Ukrainians. A Russian Foreign Ministry official confirmed that lists of banned individuals had been sent to EU states. The list includes past and serving European parliamentarians and ministers who have been outspoken critics of President Vladimir Putin and Russia’s actions in Ukraine. TASS quoted the unidentified official as saying the blacklist “was done in answer to the sanctions campaign that has been waged in relation to Russia by several states of the European Union headed by Germany.”  (RFE/RL, with reporting by TASS and Interfax)