Key facts
- Russia has banned five British nationals from entering the country.
- The individuals include journalists Catherine Belton and Richard Holmes.
Russia has banned five British nationals, including journalists Catherine Belton and Richard Holmes, from entering the country. The foreign ministry cited "provocative anti-Russian rhetoric" and London's practical steps in supplying weapons to Ukraine as reasons for the ban.
This action escalates diplomatic tensions between Russia and the UK, highlighting the ongoing information warfare and retaliatory measures in response to the conflict in Ukraine.
Russia has placed five British nationals on its blacklist, prohibiting them from entering the country. The Russian Foreign Ministry announced the move on Tuesday, stating that the entry ban was an answer to the "provocative anti-Russian rhetoric of British officials, the spread of insinuations about Russia, and London's practical steps to supply the Kyiv regime with weapons." The individuals added to the list include journalists Catherine Belton (The Washington Post) and Richard Holmes (The i Paper), as well as Alexander Browder (Henry Jackson Society), Alice Laugher (Committed to Good), and Richard Westbury (Chelsea Group). The UK has imposed sanctions on Russia, including travel bans, since its annexation of Crimea in 2014, which expanded after the full-scale invasion of Ukraine in 2022. Moscow has retaliated with its own sanctions, including travel bans.