30 Russian citizens have had sanctions placed against them by the Canadian government, the Foreign Ministry said in a statement on Friday.
"Canada is determined to protect human rights and combat corruption worldwide," the country's foreign minister, Chrystia Freeland said in connection with the sanctions.
"Today's announcement sends a clear message that Canada will take action against individuals who have profited from acts of significant corruption or who have been involved in gross violations of human rights," she continued.
The Canadian authorities will freeze all the banking assets of the blacklisted persons and will ban entry to the Canadian territory for them.
Comment: Russia wasted no time in answering. Fort Russ
reports:
A spokesman for the Russian diplomatic mission in Ottawa, Kirill Kalinin, told TASS that Moscow will retaliate to the new sanctions placed on Russian individuals by Canada.
"Canada's decision on extending anti-Russian sanctions under a false pretext of a hypocritical protection of human rights is absolutely senseless and reprehensible," the diplomat said.
By taking these steps, Ottawa "is isolating itself from one of the key global powers" and "pushes Canada's foreign policy back to the narrow black and white worldview, incompatible with modern geopolitics," he stressed.
"At the moment, dozens of Canadians have been banned from entering Russia. This is not our choice, but in case of new sanctions our response will be unchanged and reciprocal in terms of amount and quality," the diplomat said.
It was earlier reported by FRN that Canada's government imposed sanctions on 30 Russian citizens under the Justice for Victims of Corrupt Foreign Officials Act, which is also known as the Sergei Magnitsky Act.
Comment: Russia wasted no time in answering. Fort Russ reports: