Russian foreign ministry has said it has barred entry to the country for the British prime minister, Boris Johnson, the foreign secretary, Liz Truss, the defence secretary, Ben Wallace, and 10 other British government members.
The move was taken “in view of the unprecedented hostile action by the British government, in particular the imposition of sanctions against senior Russian officials,” the ministry said in a statement, adding it would expand the list soon.
In a statement, Russia's foreign ministry said, "London's unbridled information and political campaign aimed at isolating Russia internationally, creating conditions for containing our country and strangling the domestic economy" were responsible for its decision.
"In essence, the British leadership is deliberately aggravating the situation around Ukraine, pumping the Kyiv regime with lethal weapons and coordinating similar efforts on the part of Nato," it added.
Earlier this week, the UK and US governments announced further sanctions on Russia.
In March, Moscow imposed a similar ban against US President Joe Biden.
MNA/