Russia has named 27 Australians, including former Prime Ministers Tony Abbott and John Howard, among people who will be denied entry into the country for an indefinite term over their support for Ukraine and a “Russophobic” campaign.
After releasing the list, the Russian foreign ministry stated that the sanction was made “in response to politically motivated sanctions against Russian individuals and legal entities, imposed by the Government of Australia as part of the collective West’s Russophobic campaign, entry to our country is closed indefinitely to another 27 Australians, comprising former politicians, executives of Australian companies, university teachers, journalists and public figures,” News.com reported.
Apart from Abbott and Howard, former NSW Premier Barry O’Farrell, Air Vice-Marshal Stephen Chappell, Vice Chief of the Defense Force Robert Chipman and several former Australian ambassadors to Ukraine and Russia have been named in the sanction list.
The statement added these individuals were involved in supporting Australia in forming an anti-Russia agenda.
Earlier this week, Abbott, while speaking to Sky News, had sought renewed assistance to Ukraine in the war against Russia.
“They have been given enough not to lose but they haven’t been given enough to win,” Abbott said. “Australia has been, frankly, embarrassingly dithering … it’s relatively puny assistance to Ukraine.”
In April this year, eminent Australians wrote to the federal government asking it to transfer the AU$9 billion of frozen Russian assets to help Ukraine, and pursue the “dirty money” held by Russian oligarchs in Australia.
The letter addressed to Treasurer Jim Chalmers stated that the Russian central bank has nearly USD$300 billion frozen assets in the West.
Since the Ukraine war began two years ago, bilateral ties between Russia and Australia have remained tense, 9news.com reported.
The Kremlin hinted at more persons to be named in the sanction list as Australia continued its anti-Russia policies.
“Considering the fact that official Canberra does not intend to renounce its anti-Russia line and continues to impose new sanctions, we will update the Russian stop list still further.”
Earlier this month, while addressing the Black Sea security conference in the Ukrainian city of Odessa, Abbott warned of attacks on democratic nations if Russia was allowed to win.
“If the horrors that have befallen Ukraine are not to be repeated elsewhere, all the leading democracies, including Australia, need to rethink what it means to be secure,” Abbott pointed out.
