Russia has banned eight citizens of EU member states and representatives of the official structures of the European Union from entering the country, in response to punitive measures taken by Brussels against Moscow. This was announced by the Russian Foreign Ministry which also included in the blacklist the president of the European Parliament David Sassoli and Vera Jourova, vice president of the European Commission for Values and transparency.
The list also includes: the head of the Latvian media regulator, Ivars Abolins; the director of the State Language Center of Latvia, Maris Baltins; Jacques Maire, member of the French delegation to the Parliamentary Assembly of the Council of Europe; the head of the Berlin prosecutor’s office Jorg Raupach; the head of the Swedish Chemical, Biological, Radiation and Nuclear Safety Laboratory of the Defense Research Institute, Osa Scott and Ilmar Tomusk, Director General of the National Language Inspectorate.