Russia expands blacklist, adds names of 39 new Australian officials

In a retaliatory move, Russia on Friday expanded the list of Australians who would be barred from entering the country. According to TASS, Kremlin added 39 new names to its blacklist including officials from security services and defence firms. The move came in response to Canberra’s new “Magnitsky style” sanctions slapped on Russia in the wake of its war of attrition on Ukraine.

"In response to an earlier decision by official Canberra to impose Magnitsky-style sanctions, the Russian Federation acts on the basis of reciprocity and adds to the national stop-list, 39 individuals from security agencies, the border guard and contractor companies of the Australian defense sector," Russian Foreign Ministry said in a statement.

Furthermore, the ministry accused Australia of spreading Russophobia, while warning that they could undertake further countermeasures if sanctions continued. "Given that the Australian authorities continue to foment Russophobic sentiment and pursue a policy of expanding sanctions, we reserve the right to take further countermeasures," it added.

Earlier this month, the Australian government sanctioned three Russian ministers along with an additional 12 Russian nationals. According to a letter made public by the Australian Department of Home Affairs on July 1, the Children's Rights Commissioner for the President of the Russian Federation, Maria Lvova-Belova, has also been sanctioned by the nation. The letter further revealed that independent sanctions have been put in place on the Russian ministers of agriculture, Dmitry Patrushev, Transport Minister Vitaly Saveliev as well as Minister for Construction, Housing and Utilities Irek Faizullin, TASS reported.  

In addition to this, Igor Putin, a businessman; Mikhail Putin, the deputy chairman of the management board of Sogaz Insurance; Roman Putin, the chairman of the board of directors of the MRT Group of Companies, and Alina Kabaeva, the board chair of the National Media Group, are all targeted by the embargoes.  

Ukraine war continues unabated for six months

The war in Ukraine has now continued for six months. Late on Friday, embattled President Volodymyr Zlenskyy said, "We are preparing for the start of the second Kyiv Summit of First Ladies and Gentlemen tomorrow. This initiative of the First Lady of Ukraine was founded last year and proved that it can turn the soft power of the wives and husbands of the leaders of the states to solving various problems of a national and global scale."