Key Points
- 235 Australians have been banned from entering Russia under the latest sanctions.
- The list includes former Victorian premier Daniel Andrews and the state's Opposition leader John Pesutto.
- Russia's foreign ministry said the bans were due to local councils "actively promoting the anti-Russia agenda".
Former Victorian premier Daniel Andrews has been listed among 235 Australians
Victorian Opposition leader John Pesutto has also been sanctioned, along with state politicians including Treasurer, Labor MP Tim Pallas; Attorney-General Jaclyn Symes, and .
South Australia's former Liberal premier, Steven Marshall is also on the list, as is the state's minister for human services, Natalie Cook. Deputy Premier Susan Close and Opposition leader David Speirs were also listed.
In a statement, Russia's foreign ministry said the list was in response to "politically motivated sanctions" Australia had imposed on Russian private individuals and legal entities as part of what it claimed to be the "West’s Russophobic campaign".
"The decision has been made to indefinitely deny entry to Russia to 235 Australian nationals who are members of municipal councils actively promoting the anti-Russia agenda in their country," the statement said.
"Given that official Canberra shows no sign of renouncing its anti-Russia position and the continued introduction of new sanctions, we will further update the Russian stop list accordingly".
A number of countries,, have issued sanctions against Russian individuals and entities, and restricted imports and exports from Russia after it launched in February 2022.
That sparked a 'Do Not Travel' advisory from Australia's Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade, which is still in place today.
"Russian authorities have made strong, negative comments regarding Western countries," the advisory states. "Local authorities may adopt a more negative attitude towards foreigners in Russia and enforce local laws in an arbitrary manner."
It's also not the first time Russia's foreign ministry has released a sanctions list that included Australians.
In September 2022, from the ABC, Nine News, Seven News, Ten News, Sky News, The Australian, and SBS News' chief international correspondent Ben Lewis were sanctioned.
