Russia imposed retaliatory sanctions on nine US officials and lawmakers today as tension over Moscow's annexation of Crimea mounted, warning the West it would hit back over "every hostile thrust".
Deputy National Security Adviser Benjamin Rhodes and senators John McCain, John Boehner, Harry Reid and Mary Landrieu were among the Americans barred from Russia, the Foreign Ministry said.
President Vladimir Putin's spokesman said that issuing sanctions lists against Russia was unacceptable after the United States expanded its sanctions on Russians in response to the annexation of Ukraine's Crimea region.
"Finding some of the names on this list causes nothing but an extreme embarrassment, but no matter what the names are, finding any lists is unacceptable for us," Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov was quoted by Interfax news agency as saying.
"In any case, Russia's reaction to these lists will be based on a reciprocity principle and will not be long in coming," he added.