Russia imposes retaliatory sanctions on 62 Canadians

Russia has imposed retaliatory sanctions against 62 Canadian citizens, barring them from visiting the country, its Foreign Ministry has announced amid the persisting fallout of the Ukraine conflict.

The ministry said in a statement that the measure was taken in response to Ottawa’s hostile move to impose sanctions on Russian government officials, journalists, experts, and the head of the Russian Orthodox Church Patriarch Kirill I.

The Russian Foreign Ministry further blamed the administration of Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau for “hostile actions against Russia” and also published the names of those on its retaliatory sanctions list, which includes officials of Ottawa’s foreign ministry and prime minister’s office as well as a number of political analysts, artists and religious figures.

Canada initiated economic and political sanctions against Moscow in June and July following the onset of Russia's special military operation in neighboring Ukraine back in February after Kiev and the US-led NATO military alliance failed to address Moscow’s demands for security guarantees in face of plans by the Western bloc to further expand eastward, closer to Russian borders.

The anti-Russia bars by Canada were part of the expansive US-led economic and political wars waged against Moscow in wake of the Ukraine conflict in a global push to isolate and pressure the Russian side into foregoing its national security concerns amid NATO’s growing military activities in eastern Europe.

Ottawa’s latest round of anti-Russia sanctions came last month when it targeted the country’s oil and gas sector and chemical industry.

According to the document, Canadian citizens and companies are barred from providing a number of services to the Russian side, including services incidental to manufacturing of fabricated metal products; motor vehicles, trailers and semi-trailers; computer, electronic and optical products; electrical equipment and other sectors.

SS