Amid global tensions brought about by its invasion of Ukraine earlier this year, Russia has announced that it is banning twenty-five prominent Americans from the country.

“In response to the ever-expanding personal sanctions by the … Biden Administration against Russian citizens, against another group of persons from among members of the U.S. Congress, high-ranking officials, representatives of the business and expert communities, as well as cultural figures (25 people), a ban on entry into the Russian Federation on a permanent basis,” the Russian Foreign Ministry announced, per a translation of its statement.

“The hostile actions of the American authorities, which continue to follow a Russophobic course, destroying bilateral ties and escalating confrontation between Russia and the United States, will continue to be resolutely rebuffed,” the statement continued.

Among those banned are actors Sean Penn and Ben Stiller, as well as U.S. senators of both parties, including Sen. Mark Kelly (D-AZ), Sen. Pat Toomey (R-PA), Sen. Rick Scott (R-FL), Sen. Kyrsten Sinema (D-AZ), Sen. Michael Rounds (R-SD), and Sen. Kevin Cramer (R-ND).

Also new to the banned list are other government officials, such as Secretary of Commerce Gina Raimondo, Deputy Ministers of Trade Jeremy Pelter, Don Graves, and Thea Sandler, and several heads of non-governmental organizations and private businesses.

They join more than 1,000 already names on the “Stop List,” which also includes new British prime minister Liz Truss. The sanctions are seen as retaliation for Western sanctions against Russia, both before and after the invasion.

The two American actors appear to have been sanctioned due to their support of Ukraine and their criticism of the invasion. Per the BBC, Stiller, in his capacity as a goodwill ambassador for the UN High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR), visited Ukraine on the occasion of World Refugee Day in June, referring to Ukrainian president Volodymyr Zelensky as his “hero” and “amazing.”

Penn, for his part, went to Ukraine to film a documentary, although he later fled the region. Penn, the BBC said, has claimed that he “considered joining Ukrainian forces to fight against Russia.” Penn has frequently visited nontraditional foreign locations as a journalist.

“This is diplomatic warfare with the targets being government officials, business executives, and high-profile individuals rather than military installations, and weapons being economic sanctions and travel restrictions rather than bombs and missiles," Rebekah Koffler, the president of Doctrine & Strategy Consulting, told Fox News.

“It is largely symbolic at this point. Russia’s sanctions aren’t really biting that much because few U.S. citizens would want to travel to Russia or do business with Moscow,” she continued.

Stephen Silver, a technology writer for The National Interest, is a journalist, essayist and film critic, who is also a contributor to The Philadelphia Inquirer, Philly Voice, Philadelphia Weekly, the Jewish Telegraphic Agency, Living Life Fearless, Backstage magazine, Broad Street Review and Splice Today. The co-founder of the Philadelphia Film Critics Circle, Stephen lives in suburban Philadelphia with his wife and two sons. Follow him on Twitter at @StephenSilver.

Image: Reuters.