The same day the U.S. issued more sanctions against the Russian government, Russia retaliated by ordering bans against nine American lawmakers, NBC News reported.
House Speaker John Boehner, Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid, Senator John McCain and White House advisers Ben Rhodes and Caroline Atkinson are among the officials on the list. They are banned from entering Russia.
"We have repeatedly warned that the use of sanctions instruments- double edged things- boomerang on the United States itself," the Russian Ministry of Foreign Affairs said in a Thursday statement obtained by NBC News.
Earlier on Thursday President Barack Obama ordered another round of financial sanctions against several Russian officials and a bank in an attempt to impose limits on the Russian economy, Bloomberg News reported.
"We're imposing sanctions on more senior officials of the Russian government," Obama said according to Bloomberg. "In addition, we are today sanctioning a number of individuals with substantial resources and influence who provide material support to the Russian leadership, as well as a bank that provides material support to these individuals."
The sanctions were first imposed as an attempt to stop Russia's military involvement in the Ukraine. The Ukraine's eastern peninsula Crimea was recently incorporated into the Russian Federation after Russian President Vladimir Putin signed a treaty on Tuesday.
A referendum held last Sunday resulted in the majority of Crimeans choosing to secede from Ukraine. The treaty, along with Crimea's so-called independence, is seen as a violation of international law.
As far as Russia's new sanctions are concerned, the Americans on the list don't seem to be all that concerned.
"The Speaker is proud to be included on a list of those willing to stand against Putin's aggression," a spokesman for Boehner said in a statement to NBC News.
"I'm proud to be sanctioned by Putin," McCain tweeted Thursday. "I'll never cease my efforts & dedication to freedom & independence of #Ukraine, which includes #Crimea."
