Russia blacklists 333 Canadian citizens in retaliatory move

By Elena Teslova

MOSCOW (AA) – The Russian Foreign Ministry announced on Wednesday that 333 Canadian citizens, including ministers and lawmakers, were blacklisted.

In a statement on its website, the ministry said the step is taken based on the principle of reciprocity.

"Adhering to the principle of the inevitability of punishment, the Russian side, in response to the hostile actions of Ottawa, put on the "stop list" representatives of the Canadian leadership, parliamentarians and politicians of various levels, public activists and athletes involved in the spread of rabid Russophobia in the country," the ministry said.

It added that the measure is also aimed at encouraging people put on the black list to change their behavior.

With the latest addition, the list of Canadian citizens banned from entering Russia increased to 1,537.