The United States has annulled a visa issued to a deputy in Russia's upper house of parliament, the Interfax news agency reported Wednesday, citing an unidentified source in the parliament.
Alexander Totoonov was included on a list of individuals sanctioned by the U.S. in March last year shortly after Russia annexed the Ukrainian peninsula of Crimea.
“The U.S. Embassy annulled a visa for our colleague Totoonov that was issued before he was included on the sanctions list,” Interfax quoted its source as saying.
Totoonov is one of a group of Russian parliamentarians, led by the head of the Federation Council Valentina Matviyenko, supposed to visit the U.S. for a meeting of the Inter-Parliamentary Union in New York next week.
Matviyenko is also sanctioned by the U.S. and Russian media have reported that the whole trip is likely to be called off because of limits the U.S. has placed on her movements in the country.