Lithuania bans entry to 44 Russian citizens
On Monday, March 26, Lithuania banned the entry of 44 Russian citizens. The country’s Ministry of Internal Affairs has thus officially begun to implement the blacklisting of 21 Russian officials and functionaries specified under the country’s Magnitsky law.
So far, the list includes 70 people, including Ramzan Kadyrov, head of Chechnya, and Alexander Bastrykin, head of the Investigative Committee of the Russian Federation. Vilnius authorities suspect those listed of human rights violations, corruption and money laundering.
Evelina Gudzinskaitė, Director of Lithuanian Migration Department, reported that another 23 Russians have been prohibited from entering Lithuania for reasons of national security.
The authorities have decided not to publicly disclose the surnames of those who will be impacted by the new orders.
On Monday, March 26, Vilnius expelled three Russian diplomats in solidarity with British authorities, who have accused Moscow of poisoning former GRU officer Sergei Skripal and his daughter Yulia. Similar measures have been taken by a number of EU countries.