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Darragh Roche

By Darragh Roche

US News Reporter

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The Russian Foreign Ministry announced sanctions against 398 members of the House of Representatives on Wednesday, and listed lawmakers from both parties as part of retaliatory measures after the U.S. sanctioned 328 members of Russia's State Duma.

However, Russia's sanctions list did not include every member of the House, and it is not entirely clear why certain lawmakers were excluded.

Both Speaker of the House Nancy Pelosi and Minority Leader Kevin McCarthy were not listed.

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In its statement, the foreign ministry noted that Pelosi, along with other legislators, "were denied entry to the Russian Federation earlier," suggesting Pelosi was excluded from the new sanctions because action had already been taken against her.

"The individuals in question, including top officials and committee chairpersons in the lower house of the U.S. Congress, have been blacklisted by Russia permanently," the statement said.

The following members of the House were not subject to Russian sanctions on Wednesday:

There is little clarity about how Russia chose which lawmakers to sanction. The sanctions list included some Republicans who have made comments that have been construed as sympathetic to Russia.

Representatives Matt Gaetz of Florida, Marjorie Taylor Greene of Georgia and Thomas Massie of Kentucky were included. They were the only three members of the House to vote against banning imports of Russian oil last week.

Representatives Krishnamoorthi, Kinzinger and Swalwell have been outspoken in their criticism of the Russian invasion but were excluded from Wednesday's sanctions.

Russia also chose to sanction the six non-voting members of the House, though those members can vote in committee.

Newsweek has asked the Russian Foreign Ministry for comment.

The U.S. and its allies have imposed harsh sanctions on Russia since it began its invasion of Ukraine on February 24 and the country's announcement on Wednesday amounts to "tit-for-tat" sanctions following measures aimed at Russian legislators.

The United Nations (UN) believes around 11 million Ukrainians have fled their homes since the start of the war, with around 4.3 million leaving for other countries and about 6.5 million internally displaced.

According to the UN human rights office, 1,892 civilians had been killed and a further 2,558 injured during the ongoing war in Ukraine as of April 12.

Correction 04/15/22, 9:34 a.m. ET: An earlier version of this article listed Representative David Trone of Maryland among the lawmakers who were not sanctioned by Russia. Representative Trone was included in the sanctions list released on Wednesday.

Correction 04/15/22, 11.24 a.m. ET: An earlier version of this article listed Representative Mike Johnson of Louisiana among the lawmakers who were not sanctioned by Russia. Representative Johnson was included in the sanctions list released on Wednesday.

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