MOSCOW 

Russia on Tuesday declared nine New Zealand senior military officials including several deputy defense ministers as persona non grata, the Foreign Ministry announced.

The sanctions were imposed in retaliation for restrictive measures against Russian individuals and entities, the ministry said in a statement.

“In response to politically motivated sanctions against Russian individuals and legal entities by the New Zealand government, … entry to the Russian Federation is indefinitely closed to an additional nine New Zealanders from leadership of the Defense Ministry and armed forces, who are forming an anti-Russian agenda in this country, it said.

The ministry emphasized that it reserves the right to further expand the list and take other measures.