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Ukraine crisis: Russia bans top EU leadership from entering country after sanctions

EU delegation in Moscow informed about decision

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Russia on Thursday said it will expand the list of EU figures banned from entering the country following Western sanctions over Moscow's military actions in Ukraine.

Russia has been hit with a barrage of sanctions after it launched a military operation in Ukraine on February 24.

"The restrictions apply to the top leadership of the European Union including a number of European commissioners and heads of EU military structures as well as the vast majority of members of the European Parliament promoting anti-Russian policies," the foreign ministry said in a statement.

Others include "high-ranking officials... as well as public figures and media workers who are personally responsible for promoting illegal anti-Russian sanctions, inciting Russophobic sentiment and infringing the rights and freedoms of the Russian-speaking population," the statement added.

The ministry said the EU delegation in Moscow had been informed, adding that "any hostile sanctions" from the EU and its members would elicit a "harsh response".

The sanctions target Russia's economy. There are also travel bans and asset freezes on a number of government figures, including President Vladimir Putin.

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