Russia to retaliate US, Canadian sanctions

Russia Thursday vowed to retaliate upon new sanctions from the US and Canada, but stressed it would not publicise the individuals placed on the Russian blacklist.

"Of course, we will not leave such unfriendly actions unanswered," Xinhua quoted Russian Foreign Ministry spokesperson Alexander Lukashevich telling reporters. "Sanctions are not our method, but unfriendly actions force us to give a rebuff."

The names of new persons on the Russian "stop-list" would not be made public, but those people will learn about that when they apply for a visa, he said.

"We did not run after quantity and did not make a show, unlike the Americans and Canadians," Lukashevich told media.

The US banned a number of Russian politicians and business leaders from entry in mid-March in the first wave of sanctions against Moscow's accession of Crimea, followed by the European Union and Japan.

On April 28, Washington slapped fresh sanctions against seven Russian officials and 17 companies amid rising tension in Ukraine.

The Standard & Poor's rating agency has downgraded Russia's long-term rating as well as ratings of a number of Russian companies amid the wave of sanctions imposed by the West against Moscow.