Russia sanctions 25 more Americans, including US officials and actors

by Zach Schonfeld - 09/05/22 3:09 PM ET

Ukrainian Joint Forces Operation Press Service via AP
This image provided by Ukrainian Joint Forces Operation Press Service shows actor and producer Sean Penn visiting positions of the Ukrainian Armed Forces near the frontline with Russia-backed separatists in Donetsk region, Ukraine, Nov. 18, 2021. Russia imposed personal sanctions Monday, Sept. 5, 2022 on 25 Americans, including actors Sean Penn and Ben Stiller, in response to U.S. sanctions against Russians stemming from the conflict in Ukraine.

Clarification: An earlier version of this report incorrectly described the organization with which former Rep. Tom Perriello is now affiliated.

Russia on Monday banned 25 more Americans from entering the country, including Commerce Secretary Gina Raimondo, multiple U.S. senators, and actors Ben Stiller and Sean Penn.

The additions, which bring the total number of Americans banned from entering Russia to 1,073, are in response to U.S. sanctions on Russians following the country’s invasion of Ukraine, Russia’s foreign ministry said in a statement.

In addition to Raimondo, Russia’s newest sanctions target multiple senior Commerce Department officials, including Deputy Secretary Don Graves and two assistant secretaries.

The list also includes six senators: Sens. Mark Kelly (D-Ariz.), Kevin Cramer (R-N.D.), Mike Rounds (R-S.D.), Kyrsten Sinema (D-Ariz.), Rick Scott (R-Fla.) and Pat Toomey (R-Pa.). Russia had previously sanctioned more than a dozen other sitting senators.

Russia also on Monday banned from entering the country actors Sean Penn and Ben Stiller, both of whom visited Ukraine during the war.

Penn was in Ukraine in February to film a documentary as Russian President Vladimir Putin’s forces moved in, and he met Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky on the eve of the invasion.

“I do know that we have to invest everything that we have to support the Ukrainian people and to support President Zelensky, or I do not think we will have a legitimate memory of what America hopes to be,” the “Milk” star told CNN’s Anderson Cooper during a March interview.

Stiller met with Zelensky in late June in connection with his role as global goodwill ambassador to the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees.

“It’s one thing to see this destruction on TV or on social networks. Another thing is to see it all with your own eyes,” Stiller said during the visit. “That’s a lot more shocking.”

Russia’s latest round of sanctions also included multiple private sector executives at firms such as geospatial analytics company HawkEye 360 and fertilizer manufacturer CF Industries.

The sanctions also include people working at nongovernmental organization and nonprofits, including former Rep. Tom Perriello (D-Va.), the executive director of Open Society-U.S., part of a grant-making organization chaired by Democratic mega-donor George Soros.

“The hostile actions of the American authorities, which continue to follow a Russophobic course, destroying bilateral ties and escalating confrontation between Russia and the United States, will continue to be resolutely rebuffed,” Russia’s statement announcing the sanctions read.

The Biden administration has imposed multiple rounds of financial sanctions and visa restrictions on wealthy Russians, Kremlin-linked individuals and Russian financial institutions to increase pressure on the Kremlin amid its war in Ukraine.

–Updated on Sept. 6 at 10:50 a.m.