Russia Expands Its Blacklist of European Officials

On Tuesday, Russia expanded the 'blacklist' of European officials barred from entering the country in response to the twelfth sanctions package approved by the European Council.

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"In response to these hostile and illegitimate actions undermining the international legal prerogatives of the United Nations Security Council, Russia has significantly expanded the list of representatives from European institutions and EU member states who are prohibited from entering our territory," the Foreign Affairs Ministry stated.

Individuals included in the blacklist are representatives of military and commercial entities, "responsible for providing military assistance to the neo-Nazi regime in Kiev," it added.

The restrictions will also impact participants in the Parliamentary Assembly of the Council of Europe, which voted in favor of a resolution aiming to "openly interfere in the internal affairs" of Russia and "discredit the presidential elections" in March 2024.

On Monday, the European Union approved the twelfth sanctions package against Russia, with the primary measure being the prohibition of the purchase and export of Russian diamonds.

The measure will take effect on January 1, 2024, when the G7 countries' mechanism for tracing the journey of Russian diamonds throughout the global production chain will be implemented, ensuring the effectiveness of the sanctions.

According to Moscow, the new European sanctions package is just another "futile attempt" to exert pressure on Russia.

"Russia has options to circumvent EU sanctions on diamonds... Everything will be done to protect and guarantee our interests," said Dmitri Peskov, the Kremlin spokesman.