Russia bans actors Ben Stiller and Sean Penn as part of new round of sanctions

The Russian Foreign Ministry wrote on its website that Sean Penn, Ben Stiller, and 23 other Americans were banned from entering the country.

A group of US politicians and think-tank leaders were also on the list.

The move was made in response to the sanctions against Russian citizens by the US. The Russians didn't say why they included 25 people in their list.

Both Stiller and Penn have supported the cause of the Ukrainian people.

In June, the Ukrainian Ministry of Defense thanked Ben Stiller, Sean Penn, and Liev Schreiber for visiting the country.

The Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky was the hero of Stiller's meeting.

Penn met with Zelensky earlier this year while working on a documentary about the conflict with Russia. He said Zelensky's leadership was new to the modern world in terms of courage and dignity.