MOSCOW, November 16. /TASS/. Russia imposed sanctions against 52 key Irish officials and politicians, the Russian Foreign Ministry said in a statement on Wednesday.

"In response to the anti-Russian course of the Irish government, which unconditionally supports the unilateral restrictive measures introduced by the European Union against Russian citizens aimed at trying to isolate our country internationally, a decision was made to put 52 key representatives of the Irish leadership and political figures on the Russian black list," the statement published on the ministry’s website reads.

The list of Irish citizens who are now banned from entering the Russian Federation includes, among others, Prime Minister Micheal Martin, his deputy Leo Varadkar, Speaker of the Dail Eireann (lower house of parliament) Sean O Fearghail, Foreign Minister and Defense Minister Simon Coveney, Justice Minister Helen McEntee, Finance Minister Paschal Donohoe, as well as several senators and members of the lower house of parliament.

According to the Russian Foreign Ministry, "Acting on instructions from Brussels, Ireland has been conducting an aggressive anti-Russian propaganda campaign while following a path of curtailing bilateral cooperation to the detriment of their own interests." The Russian foreign policy agency referred to a March attack on the Russian Embassy in Dublin as the latest example of Ireland fueling Russophobic hysteria.