Russia on Saturday included key members of the British government, including Prime Minister Boris Johnson and a number of political figures, in its "stop list" which bars their entry into the country.
The action, said Moscow today, follows "the unprecedented hostile actions" of the British government, expressed, in particular, in the imposition of sanctions against top officials of the Russian Federation.
The Russian Foreign Ministry said that it is in response to London's "unbridled information and political campaign" aimed at containing and isolating Russia internationally besides strangling its domestic economy.
"In essence, the British leadership is deliberately aggravating the situation around Ukraine, pumping the Kyiv regime with lethal weapons and coordinating similar efforts on the part of NATO. The instigation of London is also unacceptable, which is strongly pushing not only its Western allies, but also other countries to introduce large-scale anti-Russian sanctions, which, however, are senseless and counterproductive," the Russian MFA said in a statement today.
"The Russophobic course of the British authorities, whose main task is to stir up a negative attitude towards our country, curtail bilateral ties in almost all areas, is detrimental to the well-being and interests of the inhabitants of Britain itself. Any sanctions attacks will inevitably hit their initiators and receive a decisive rebuff," it added.
The list of British subjects who are no longer allowed to enter Russia includes Prime Minister Boris Johnson, Deputy Prime Minister Dominic Raab, UK Foreign Secretary Elizabeth Truss, Defence Secretary Ben Wallace, Former Prime Minister Theresa May, Finance Minister Rishi Sunak and several ministers and prominent politicians of the country.
Russia said that the list will be expanded in future to include British politicians and parliamentarians "who contribute to whipping up anti-Russian hysteria, pushing the 'collective West' to use the language of threats in dialogue with Moscow, and shamelessly inciting the Kiev neo-Nazi regime".
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