Brussels---The European Union hit out Saturday at a travel ban imposed by Russia on 89 European citizens -- many of whom are outspoken Kremlin critics -- calling it "totally arbitrary and unjustified".
The formerly undisclosed list was revealed to European diplomats on Thursday, and includes past and serving parliamentarians and ministers who have openly criticised President Vladimir Putin and the war in Ukraine.
Military figures and secret service chiefs are also thought to be on the list.
European politicians who discovered they had been banned from travelling to Russia wore the badge proudly, as Brussels took aim at Moscow for the decision.
Beyond releasing the names of the blacklisted individuals to diplomats, Moscow has failed to provide "any other information on legal basis, criteria and process of this decision," the EU's foreign service said.
"We consider this measure as totally arbitrary and unjustified, especially in the absence of any further clarification and transparency," it added.
Blacklisted politicians were nevertheless proud about being banned by Russia.
"Those who try to censor us and make us scared for standing up for values deserve even more criticism. For me it's about being very committed to standing up for peace and freedom in Ukraine," one of those banned, Swedish MEP Anna Maria Corazza Bildt, told AFP.
"I'm more proud than scared and this gives me more determination to continue... If the Kremlin takes me and my colleagues seriously it means we're doing a good job," the centre-right politician, married to Sweden's former foreign minister Carl Bildt, added.
She was among eight Swedes and several MEPs confirmed on the list, which was drawn up in response to the EU's own sanctions and travel bans on Russia citizens over Moscow's annexation of Crimea in Ukraine last year.
AFP
