American NBC media executive Jeff Shell has been denied entry into Russia, The New York Times reported Wednesday.
Shell arrived in the country on a business trip but was detained by officers at the airport for several hours. He was then escorted onto a flight to Amsterdam after being forced to sign a document stating he was barred from entering Russia.
As well as heading NBCUniversal's motion picture unit, Shell also serves as the chairman of the Broadcasting Board of Governors, an American governmental agency which supervises the Voice of America and Radio Free Europe media outlets.
Shell told The New York Times that the officers did not give a reason for his expulsion.
The incident follows several diplomatic disputes between Russia and the United States, including an incident where an American diplomat was attacked outside the U.S. embassy by an man from Russia's security services.
The United States expelled two Russian officials following the clash, to which Russia retaliated by expelling two American diplomats. Foreign Ministry spokeswoman Maria Zakharova called the decision by Washington and “unfriendly move,” labelling the assault as “made up.”
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