adminRussia yesterday hit Hollywood stars Ben Stiller and Sean Penn with sanctions in response to their public support for Ukraine.
The foreign ministry included the actors on a new list of 25 US citizens — mostly politicians, trade officials and industrial executives — that it was placing under sanctions and banning from entering Russia.
Stiller and Penn have been vocal supporters of Ukraine in the conflict and have met Ukraine’s President Volodymyr Zelensky in high-profile shows of support.
Two-time Oscar winner Penn was in Ukraine recording a documentary when Russia invaded on 24 February. He was forced to flee on foot, joining the millions of Ukrainians crossing into Poland in the first days of the war.
He has been a vocal backer of Zelensky since, returning to Ukraine in June to meet the Ukrainian leader, and Zelensky has publicly thanked Penn for his support. The sanctions freeze any Russian assets that those on the list have, prohibit Russian citizens from doing business with them, and ban them from travelling to Russia.
The list also included US Commerce Secretary Gina Raimondo, four deputy commerce secretaries and six US senators. — Reuters
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