EU, US Officials, Including John Boehner, May Be Added To Russia's Blacklist Of Over 200 Names

Russia is preparing a list of over 200 politicians and officials from the European Union and the United States, who may be barred from entering Russia, Sputnik News reported, citing local media. Over the past year, the U.S. and the EU have enacted sanctions against several Russian nationals and corporations for their alleged role in fomenting a crisis in Ukraine.

Officials like U.S. House Speaker John Boehner, Senate Minority Leader Harry Reid, as well as Sens. John McCain and Bob Menendez, are reportedly included in Russia’s list, according to Sputnik News. The list, which also includes President Barack Obama's deputy assistant Caroline Atkinson, and advisers Daniel Pfeiffer and Benjamin Rhodes, follows Russia's 2014 ban on the entry of certain officials from the West over the conflict in eastern Ukraine.

“The list of foreign nationals who may be denied entry into the Russian Federation mirrors similar blacklists in the European Union and NATO states. The United States leads with more than 60 people on the list,” the source told a local newspaper, according to Sputnik News.

Last month, the EU added 19 more people and nine organizations to its blacklist of people, accusing them of playing a role in destabilizing Ukraine, according to Bloomberg. The list, which features political and military officials from self-proclaimed republics in Luhansk and Donetsk in eastern Ukraine, armed rebel groups and supporters of the “New Russia” separatist movement, also reportedly includes Russian Deputy Defense Minister Anatoly Antonov.

The people and organizations on this list are barred from traveling to the 28 countries in the EU, and from accessing bank accounts in the bloc, Bloomberg reported. So far, the EU’s blacklist includes 151 people and 37 organizations.