Russia in its recent move has barred 25 United States citizens from taking entry into the nation on Monday, including actors Ben Stiller and Sean Penn, in its latest round of personal sanctions.
As per the list shared by the Russian Foreign Ministry, “Russia has included Hollywood actors including high-ranking business and political figures.”
According to the statement released by the Foreign Ministry that, “The cruel actions of the U.S. authorities, which continue to follow a Russophobic course, eliminating bilateral relations and escalating confrontation between Russia & the United States, will continue to be resolutely rebuffed.”
Stiller and Penn have been vocal in their support for Kyiv since Russia invaded Ukraine in late February.
Penn, who has met Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy, was in Ukraine shooting a documentary when the Russian attack started.
Meanwhile, Stiller, who is a goodwill ambassador for the United Nations refugee agency, branded Zelenskyy his “hero” in June after the pair were pictured in Kyiv.
“I’m an actor, so the foremost thing I go to is like, ‘Oh, it just looks like a movie’. But the ranking of it is even bigger & it’s real, so that’s really distressing,” Stiller said during the visit.
The Russian Foreign Ministry added that the sanctions were in response to personal sanctions imposed on Russian citizens by Washington.