Russia Bans Entry of Five UK Nationals, Targeting Prominent Journalists
Russia’s Entry Ban on British Nationals: Details and Implications
Overview of the Ban
June 3 (Reuters) - Russia has banned five British nationals, including The Washington Post journalist Catherine Belton and The i Paper correspondent Richard Holmes, from entering the country, the foreign ministry said on its website late on Tuesday.
Profiles of Banned Journalists
Catherine Belton
Belton is an investigative correspondent focusing on Russia and previously reported about the country for the Financial Times and Reuters among other media.
Richard Holmes
Holmes, an award-winning investigative journalist and a Pulitzer Prize finalist, is a security correspondent at Britain's The i Paper.
Russian Foreign Ministry’s Statement
The foreign ministry said 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".
Other Individuals Named in the Ban
Alexander Browder
Other Britons named under the ban were Alexander Browder, a contributor for the Henry Jackson Society policy think tank;
Alice Laugher
Alice Laugher, chief executive of humanitarian staffing firm Committed to Good;
Richard Westbury
and Richard Westbury, chairman of the Chelsea Group, parent company of Committed to Good.
Context: UK-Russia Sanctions and Retaliations
UK Sanctions on Russia
The UK is among countries which imposed sanctions on Russia, including travel bans, after Moscow's annexation of Crimea from Ukraine in 2014. Those measures expanded following Russia's full-scale invasion in 2022.
Russia’s Retaliatory Measures
Moscow has also imposed sanctions, including travel bans, in retaliation.
Reporting Credits
(Reporting by Jekaterīna Golubkova in Tokyo; Editing by Cynthia Osterman)
