Russia sanctions U.S. Treasury and energy secretaries, defence and media executives

(Reuters) – Russia has imposed personal sanctions on 61 U.S. officials including Treasury Secretary Janet Yellen and Energy Secretary Jennifer Granholm and leading defence and media executives, the Russian foreign ministry said on Monday.

The ministry said it had imposed personal sanctions, which ban those named from entering Russia, in retaliation for “constantly expanding U.S. sanctions against Russian political and public figures, as well as representatives of domestic business.”

It said the individuals were the heads of leading military-industrial corporations, media platforms, rating agencies and aircraft and shipbuilding companies, as well as individual U.S. State Department officials “involved in fake reports about ‘malicious’ Russian cyber attacks”.

Among those named on the list were:

– U.S. Trade Representative Katherine Tai

– Edward Bastian, chief executive of Delta Air Lines

– White House Communications Director Kate Bedingfield

– White House Budget director Shalanda Young

– James O’Brien, head of the State Department Office of Sanctions Coordination

– New York Stock Exchange Chairman Jeffrey Sprecher

– Fitch Group President and Chief Executive Paul Taylor

(Writing by Kevin Liffey; Editing by Mark Porter)