The Russian Foreign Ministry blacklisted 25 more people, including members of the US Congress and high-ranking US officials. A statement about this was published on the website of the diplomatic department.

The sanctions included Secretary of Commerce Gina Raimondo, her deputies Jeremy Petler, Thea Kendler, Don Graves and Matthew Axelrod, as well as Democratic and Republican senators from different states.

In addition to high-ranking officials and businessmen, Hollywood actors Sean Penn and Ben Stiller, who supported Ukraine after the Russian invasion, were also blacklisted by the Foreign Ministry.

Earlier, Sean Penn, who filmed a documentary in Ukraine, left the country due to security concerns. Later, he stated that he would not have left Ukraine at the beginning of the war if he had a rifle in his hands:

“I intend to return to Ukraine. But I'm not an idiot, I'm not sure I have anything to offer. I don't waste time texting the president or his staff while they're under siege."

In early April, Penn appealed to billionaires around the world to purchase 12 fighter jets for Ukraine that are superior in technical characteristics to Russian military aviation. In March, the actor again supported Ukraine: he turned to the American Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences with a demand to give Zelensky the opportunity to speak at the Oscars film award ceremony. If the academics refuse, the actor promised to boycott the ceremony and publicly melt down his statuette, which he received in 2008 for playing the title role in the film Harvey Milk.

Ben Stiller, during a visit to Ukraine , met with President Volodymyr Zelensky and called him a hero. Before that, the actor helped Ukrainian refugees in Poland as a goodwill ambassador for the Office of the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees.