Russia blacklists 89 EU officials
European politicians who discovered they were on a previously confidential Russian travel blacklist yesterday said they were proud of being included, as EU governments led by Germany criticised the entry bans.
The 89-strong list, formerly undisclosed but revealed to European diplomats on Thursday, includes past and serving parliamentarians and ministers who have been outspoken critics of President Vladimir Putin and the war in Ukraine.
"Being on this list does not change my commitment to the people of Ukraine," said Swedish MEP Anna Maria Corazza Bildt in a tweet.
"I have more to be proud of than to be afraid of!... Putin's list is a confirmation that I am doing right as a parliamentarian," the centre-right politician, married to Sweden's former foreign minister Carl Bildt, added.
She was among eight Swedes confirmed on the list, which was drawn up in response to the EU's own sanctions and travel bans on Russia citizens over Moscow's annexation of Crimea in Ukraine last year.
Former Czech foreign minister Karel Schwarzenberg, a staunch critic of Russia's policy towards Ukraine, also confirmed he was on the list and welcomed it.
"When I saw the other names (on the list), I found out I was in a very decent club. I consider this a reward," he was quoted as saying by news agency CTK.
According to German daily Bild seven German nationals have been targeted. Polish media reports suggest that as many as 18 Poles have been targeted.
Dutch Prime Minister Mark Rutte was the first to reveal that a list of blacklisted figures had been shared with European diplomats.
Western governments have known about the existence of a list for some time and several prominent politicians and officials have been stopped from entering Russia in recent months.
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