Russia bans US lawmaker from entry

Russia has banned one U.S. lawmaker and 12 other Americans from entering its territory, a foreign ministry spokesman announced Saturday.

The move follows a decision by U.S. officials to bar access for 13 Russian and Crimean figures as part of an effort to impose pressure on the Kremlin over its support for Ukrainian separatists.

{mosads}Foreign Ministry spokesman Alexander Lukashevich said in a statement Saturday that retiring Rep. Jim Moran (D-Va.) can no longer enter Russia along with 12 other people singled out for their involvement in detention facilities in Iraq and Guantanamo Bay, Cuba.

Moran was apparently targeted in retaliation for sanctions recently imposed on Adam Delimkhanov, a member of the Russian Duma, according to the Washington Post.

The other Americans on Russia’s list include Guantanamo commander Rear Adm. Richard Butler and Lynndie England, a former solider who was involved in abusing detainees at the Abu Ghraib prison in Iraq.

Russia also vowed that U.S. sanctions “will not remain without consequences” as tensions heighten over the downing of a Malaysia Airlines passenger jet in eastern Ukraine.

President Obama has indirectly linked the tragedy to Russia, and had issued a tough new round of sanctions just prior to the crash.