An EU spokesperson said in a statement that the bloc “regrets the decision of the Russian authorities (…) to prevent an unknown number of representatives of EU member states and institutions from entering Russia.”
“This decision lacks legal justification and transparency, and it will receive an appropriate response,” he added.
The European reaction came after Russia announced its decision to prevent several European officials from entering its territory, noting that it had taken this step in response to Brussels’ policy of imposing “absurd unilateral restrictions.”
The Russian Foreign Ministry said in a statement that the officials banned from entering its territory are, in particular, representatives of the security forces and legislative and executive bodies in a number of European Union countries, because they are “personally responsible for spreading anti-Russian policy.”
The ministry added that the entry ban measure also targets “private European military companies operating in different regions of the world”, in a retaliatory measure in response to the sanctions imposed by the European Union on the Russian paramilitary group Wagner.
In December, the European Union imposed sanctions on the Wagner Group, 8 people and 3 companies associated with it, for “destabilizing actions” carried out in Ukraine and a number of African countries.
The European Union accuses this group of acting on behalf of the Kremlin in conflict areas.
The mutual sanctions come as the West has warned Russia of a massive coordinated response if its forces massed on Ukraine’s borders launch an attack on its western neighbor.
