Russian President Vladimir Putin signed a decree on April 4 introducing visa restrictions for citizens of countries that Moscow deems “unfriendly” in response to sanctions over the invasion of Ukraine.
The latest list is an update of the original released by Moscow in May 2021. At that time, Russia had deemed the United States and the Czech Republic as unfriendly, ZeroHedge reports.
The decree, which takes effect on April 11, suspends Russia’s simplified visa issuance regime with some European Union countries, including Norway, Switzerland, Denmark, and Iceland.
The list was approved in March 2022, according to Republic World.
Russia now considers the following nations to be unfriendly:
Albania, Andorra, Australia, Canada, European Union, Iceland, Japan, Liechtenstein, Micronesia, Monaco, Montenegro, New Zealand, North Macedonia, Norway, San Marino, Singapore, South Korea, Switzerland, Taiwan, Ukraine, the United Kingdom, and the United States.
The countries and territories listed in the document have all imposed or joined the sanctions against Russia in response to the Russian Armed Forces’ special military operation in Ukraine. The sanctions have crippled Russia’s economy by limiting the country’s trade with other nations, causing a global increase in the price of food and other commodities, according to CNN.
The Russian government stated that the list is a response to unfriendly actions by these countries but did not specify exactly what limits will be imposed.
“A draft presidential decree is being developed on retaliatory visa measures in response to the unfriendly actions of a number of foreign states,” Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov stated, CBS News reports. “This act will introduce several restrictions on entry into Russia.”
Earlier sanctions against Russia came after it was accused of interfering in other countries’ elections and supporting separatists in Ukraine. Some economists argue that the sanctions will cost Russia up to $100 billion and will temporarily halt the country’s growth, CNN reports.