President Joe Biden’s family is persona non grata in Moscow.
Russia’s foreign ministry said on Tuesday it has added 25 people to its list of Americans banned from entering Russia “in response to escalating US sanctions against Russian political and public figures.” Included are first lady Jill Biden and the couple’s daughter Ashley. The president was on a previous list.
The latest list also includes four senators the ministry blames for “creating the Russophobic course” in Congress. They are Republicans Mitch McConnell, Susan Collins and Ben Sasse and Democrat Kirstin Gillibrand.
The US and other countries have hit countless Russian oligarchs with sanctions that have resulted in the seizure of huge yachts and other property.
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Latest developments:
►A Russian court has rejected a call from imprisoned opposition leader Alexei Navalny.
16 Ukrainian soldiers, including 2 officers and a civilian were released in a prisoner exchange. Five were injured, Ukrainian authorities said. The number of released Russians was not immediately announced.
Ukraine: Russians kidnap Kherson mayor
Kherson mayor Ihor Kolykhaiev has been kidnapped by Russian troops occupying the southern city of nearly 300,000 residents, an adviser to the mayor said. Halyna Liashevska said the mayor had stayed in the city after the Russian invaded out of a sense of duty to his constituents. Russian troops have routinely kidnapped pro-Ukrainian activists and other public figures in the cities it overruns. Kolykhaiev was escorted from his office in handcuffs, Liashevska said.
Control of the region gives Russia a crucial “land bridge” connecting Russia to Crimea, which Russia acquired from Ukraine in 2014. Separatists have called for a referendum to leave Ukraine and become part of Russia.
Death toll rises in rocket attack on shopping center
The death toll rose to more than 20 on Tuesday in a rocket attack on a shopping center Monday that injured dozens of shoppers, said Kirill Timoshenko, spokesman for the president’s office. At least 40 people were missing as rescuers searched through the rubble in the central city of Kremenchuk, Timoshenko told Ukrainian news media. At least 59 people were injured, 25 of whom had to be hospitalized, he said.
More than 1,000 people were inside the mall when the rocket hit, authorities said. The UN Security Council has scheduled an emergency meeting in New York on Tuesday to discuss the attack. Russian Defense Ministry spokesman Lieutenant General Igor Konashenkov said fighter jets fired missiles at a nearby Western weapons depot, causing the mall to catch fire.
Contributions: The Associated Press
