Sean Penn and Ben Stiller permanently banned from entering Russia over Ukraine support

Actors are among 25 other Americans that Russia has imposed personal sanctions on

Sean Penn and Ben Stiller are among 25 Americans permanently banned from entering Russia.

On Monday (5 September), Russia’s Foreign Ministry imposed personal sanctions on a group of Americans in response to US sanctions against Russians stemming from the conflict in Ukraine.

Penn and Stiller have been outspoken critics of Russia’s invasion of Ukraine. The Milk star is an activist involved in relief work, among other causes. In February, he fled Ukraine while filming a VICE documentary about Russia’s invasion of the country.

After which, Penn revealed that he had considered joining Ukrainian forces to fight against Russia.

Meanwhile, Stiller – who’s a goodwill ambassador for the UN High Commissioner for Refugees – praised Ukraine’s President Volodymyr Zelensky, calling him “my hero”, following a visit to the country on World Refugee Day.

US Commerce Secretary Gina Raimondo was also on the new sanctions list, as were several American senators: Mark Kelly and Kyrsten Sinema of Arizona, Kevin Cramer of North Dakota, Mike Rounds of South Dakota, Rick Scott of Florida, and Pat Toomey of Pennsylvania.

Russia’s Foreign Ministry said the group, which also included business leaders, academics and government officials, would be banned permanently from entering Russia.

Sean Penn and Ben Stiller (Getty Images)

Previous rounds of Russian sanctions against Americans have included US President Joe Biden and members of his family, as well as lawmakers and business leaders. The US has sanctioned numerous Russians, including government officials and business people.

Additional reporting from AP