Russia Sanctions Trump's Enemies, Those Who Persecuted Capitol Rioters: NYT

Russia announced it would sanction 500 new people, including Americans deemed as adversaries of former President Donald Trump and people who persecuted the Jan. 6 rioters, according to a report.

Among those newly sanctioned by Russia for travel and financial restrictions include New York Attorney General Letitia James who sued Trump and the Trump Organization for fraud and State Secretary of Georgia Brad Raffensperger who rebuffed the former president's requests to help him "find votes" and overturn the 2020 election, The New York Times reported.

Former President Barack Obama was also among the figures sanctioned by Russia.

The Kremlin also sanctioned Capitol police officer Lt. Michael Byrd who shot pro-Trump rioter Ashli Babbitt during the January 2021 riot.

According to the news outlet, James, Raffensperger and Byrd were sanctioned because Trump had "publicly assailed them." The Kremlin, on the other hand, noted that it was sanctioning individuals who promoted "Russophobic attitudes and fakes" as well as those who "are directly involved in the persecution of dissidents in the wake of the so-called Storming the Capitol."

"It is high time for Washington to learn that no hostile attack on Russia will go unpunished. The principle of the inevitability of punishment will be consistently applied, whether we are talking about tougher sanctions pressure or discriminatory steps to hinder the professional activities of our fellow citizens," the Kremlin said.

Other figures included in Russia's recent sanction were political commentator Rachel Maddow, late-night hosts Stephen Colbert and Jimmy Kimmel and CNN Anchor Erin Burnett.

The Kremlin's sanctions may have stemmed from America's decision not to give visas to media traveling with Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov to the United Nations last month.

The reason behind Russia's move may also be due to recent sanctions by the U.S. that halted the export of a variety of consumer goods to Russia over its invasion of Ukraine. The sanctions, introduced last Friday, curbed items used in daily life that the U.S. said could also be used to help the Russian military, including snow plows, contact lenses, sunglasses and milking machines.

In addition, the U.S. also targeted Russian aircraft repair and parts production plants and gunpowder factories.