Russia imposes travel ban on Kamala Harris, Mark Zuckerberg
- Apr 22, 2022,
- Updated Apr 22, 2022, 5:35 PM IST
Russia on Thursday slapped a travel ban on US Vice-President Kamala Harris and Facebook CEO Mark Zuckerberg in response to sanctions imposed over the Kremlin’s “military operations” in Ukraine.
According to the news agency AFP, the travel ban also affects 27 other prominent Americans. The travel restriction, which includes top Pentagon officials, US business executives, and journalists, will be in effect "in perpetuity," according to the Russian foreign ministry. ABC News television host George Stephanopoulos, Washington Post columnist David Ignatius, and the editor of the Russia-focused Meduza news site Kevin Rothrock are among those on the US list.
Russia had earlier banned Facebook and Instagram – part of Zuckerberg’s Meta empire --, calling them “extremist” organisations.
Russia had earlier this week announced the second phase of the war in Eastern Ukraine with the “Battle of Donbas” after failing to capture the capital Kyiv and being forced to withdraw from the north.
Russia calls its incursion a “special military operation” to demilitarise and “denazify” Ukraine. Kyiv and its Western allies reject that as a false pretext for an illegal war of aggression.