Jeffrey Scott Shapiro, a columnist and editorial board member at The Washington Times, was stunned to be taught the information he was No. 467 on the checklist of “500 Americans” that Russia has banned from coming into the nation in response to U.S. sanctions.
Mr. Shapiro, who beforehand served as a senior advisor of the United States Agency for Global Media, which oversees Voice of America and Radio Free Europe, mentioned a former colleague known as him Friday to congratulate him for being on the checklist of blackballed U.S. officers, lawmakers, comedians and fellow journalists.
“I was very surprised, but considering the tone of my columns and the positions I’ve taken against Moscow’s invasion of Ukraine, I probably shouldn’t have been,” Mr. Shapiro mentioned. “Some of them are very strong.”
Mr. Shapiro discovered himself lumped in with former President Barack Obama, late-night speak present host Jimmy Kimmel, dozens of members of the House, and a few members of the U.S. Senate had been amongst these banned.
Russia’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs mentioned the ban was enacted “in a response to the regularly anti-Russian sanctions imposed by the Joe Biden administration.”
The ministry accused the individuals on the checklist of spreading “Russophobia”, and supplying Ukraine with arms.
Mr. Shapiro has been a vocal critic of Russia’s invasion of Ukraine.
He additionally has focused Moscow’s arrests of Wall Street Journal reporter Evan Gershkovich, who was detained in March and charged with spying, and Paul Whelan, the previous United States Marine who was detained in 2018 and later sentenced to 16 years in jail on espionage costs.
In a column final 12 months, Mr. Shapiro warned the Kremlin is injecting the pro-war “Z” image into the nation’s tradition, making it the “new Swastika.”
“Like the Russian pro-invasion Z, the infamous SS symbol used by the Nazi Schutzstaffel — two ancient runes that resemble lightning bolts—also stands for victory,” he wrote on the time.
Mr. Shapiro mentioned the ban “might be personal.”
He mentioned he spent a few years conducting interviews with Russian officers within the Washington embassy when he first began working for The Washington Times in 2013.
“It is possible they have been tracking my stories since then and aren’t very pleased with the editorial tone of my columns which avidly support Ukranian independence and denounce Russia war crimes,” he mentioned.
“It could also be in response to a column I wrote that argued an attack on one journalist – Evan Gershkovich – was a declaration of war against all journalists,” he mentioned. “That column was a salute to all the Russian journalists who have called for Evan’s release and had the courage to denounce war crimes in Ukraine.”
Whatever the case, Mr. Shapiro mentioned he acquired some sage recommendation from a few journalism friends – David Satter, an creator and main commentator on Russia who he considers a mentor, and Luke Harding, a overseas correspondent with The Guardian.
Both of them have been expelled from Russia, and each of them celebrated the information.
“Congratulations, welcome to the club,” Mr. Satter mentioned in a word to Mr. Shapiro. “Wear it like a badge of honor. It means you’re getting somewhere.”
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