Ben Stiller and Sean Penn have been banned from Russia

American actors Ben Stiller and Sean Penn are no longer allowed to enter Russia after being added to the “stop list” by Kremlin officials. They join A-list celebrities, including former UK Prime Minister Boris Johnson, US President Joe Biden, and fellow Hollywood actor Morgan Freeman. Since the start of the war in Ukraine, Russia and a few Western countries have been throwing rounds of sanctions at each other.

Similar restrictions have been imposed on oligarchs connected to Vladimir Putin in the West. The list features names like Gina Raimondo, US Commerce Secretary, as well as six US senators and four deputy commerce secretaries. “The hostile actions of the American authorities, which continue to follow a Russophobic course, destroying bilateral ties and escalating confrontation between Russia and the United States, will continue to be resolutely rebuffed,” the ministry explained. Both Stiller and Penn have visited Kyiv since the start of the conflict and have been fierce critics of Russia’s invasion of Ukraine, according to BBC.

During a visit to Ukraine to commemorate World Refugee Day, actor and UNHCR goodwill ambassador Ben Stiller expressed his thoughts for Ukraine’s President Volodymyr Zelensky. A video shows Stiller saying, “You’re my hero, you’re amazing,” to Zelensky. While making a documentary about the conflict in Ukraine, Penn, a star well-known for both his films and his political activism, fled the country. Later, he admitted that he had considered enlisting in the Ukrainian military to combat Russia.

Currently, 1,073 names, including the two actors, are on Russia’s “stop list.” Numerous UK, US, and EU officials are also there, along with US cinematographer Rob Reiner and future British Prime Minister Liz Truss.

Russia’s most recent retaliatory actions are in response to sanctions imposed by the US government. The most recent ones were made public as part of a larger G7 proposal to control the price of Russian oil in an effort to weaken Moscow’s ability to fund its conflict. The cap, according to US Treasury Secretary Janet Yellen, will also contribute to reducing inflation, which is on the increase in many nations across the world.