Ben Stiller and Sean Penn permanently banned from entering Russia. Why though?
Russia's foreign ministry, on Monday (September 5), announced a list of 25 'high-ranking officials, representatives of the business and expert communities, as well as cultural figures' from the US, who have been permanently barred from entering Putin's country. The list includes the names of actors Ben Stiller and Sean Penn.
Who else is on the list?
The never-ending sanction circle: US President Joe Biden, members of his family, lawmakers, and business leaders have all been subject to Russian sanctions in the past.
The United States, in return, has imposed numerous sanctions on Russian businesspeople and government officials. The US govt also sanctioned Putin's rumoured girlfriend, Alina Kabaeva, a few weeks ago.
Why Ben Stiller and Sean Penn though? Both Ben Stiller and Sean Penn are actors who have one thing in common: their vocal support of Ukraine in the Russia-Ukraine war.
Sean Penn, the Oscar-winning actor, is at the moment making a documentary on Russia's war crimes, and is being guided by the Ukrainian government in the process.
Sean Penn has personally visited Ukraine at least twice during the war. The first time he visited Lviv, Ukraine, was in March 2022, and then in June 2022. He is also working with his community relief organisation, Core, to provide relief for the people of Ukraine.
Ben Stiller, the director of Emmy-winner Severance, also recently visited Ukraine and met the President Volodymyr Zelenskyy in June 2022. He is also working as a United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR) Goodwill Ambassador.
In one of his recent videos, while speaking for the UNCHR, he called out Russia's invasion and spoke about the refugee crisis this war is creating.