32 British citizens are banned from entering Russia

The Russian Ministry of Foreign Affairs has placed 32 British citizens on the entry ban list.

On August 19 local time, the Russian Ministry of Foreign Affairs issued a statement announcing that 32 British citizens from multiple institutions will be placed on the entry ban list.

The statement said that experts from these institutions assess and formulate relevant goals including interfering in the internal affairs of other countries and are widely used by the entire West to implement an anti-Russian line. The statement also emphasized that Russia will continue to expand the entry ban list for British citizens.

Russia's move may be a response and countermeasure to a series of anti-Russian actions by the United Kingdom. In recent years, relations between Russia and the United Kingdom have been tense. On issues such as the Russia-Ukraine conflict, the United Kingdom has sided with Ukraine and imposed multiple rounds of sanctions on Russia and taken unfriendly measures against Russia in fields such as diplomacy. By placing some British citizens on the entry ban list, Russia shows its dissatisfaction with the relevant actions of the United Kingdom and its determination to safeguard its own national interests and sovereignty. This approach is also a means taken by Russia at the diplomatic level to gain the initiative in the diplomatic game with the United Kingdom and show its stance to the United Kingdom and other Western countries.