Russia expands sanctions against Brussels, includes military officials

The Russian Foreign Ministry stated on Wednesday in a statement that "in response to the next restrictive measures against Russian individuals and legal entities, a decision was made to expand the list of representatives of the institutions of the EU and its member states, which are banned from entry into our country."

Among those on the ban are the top military leadership of the EU, high-ranking officials of the law enforcement agencies of the EU member states, and representatives of European commercial organizations in the production of weapons and military equipment involved in the deliveries of military products to Ukraine.

The Ministry added, "We want to remind the initiators of anti-Russian measures that any unfriendly actions against Russia will continue to meet a harsh response from our side."

This comes in light of Brussels' enforcement of an abundance of continuous unexpected sanctions on Moscow as a response to the launch of the war in Ukraine. "Step by step," Kremlin Spokesperson Dmitry Peskov said, "Brussels and individual European capitals demonstrate an absolute lack of reason... This mix of irrationality, bordering on the insane, allows for such decisions (on visas) to be discussed."

Russia's Foreign Ministry accused Brussels in June of "manipulating" Ukraine after the EU Commission recommended that Kiev be granted candidate status for joining the 27-nation bloc. The EU member states have agreed on a series of sanctions packages targeting Russia and sectors of the economy, including key oil exports. The latest of those packages targets visas given to Russians to access the EU bloc.

Russian Deputy Foreign Minister Andrey Rudenko told Sputnik on Monday that the European Union is not taking into consideration the consequences of giving military aid to Ukraine.