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Attorney General Jason Miyares considers it a “badge of honor” to be among 500 Americans recently banned from Russia.
“I guess my family’s story is a threat to Putin’s agenda,” he wrote Monday on Twitter. “I will never stop talking about the harms of socialism and communism, and the benefits of freedom, free speech, and a free press.”
Miyares, a Republican and the first Latino to serve as Virginia’s attorney general, often speaks about his family’s story of emigrating from Cuba. His mother fled communist Cuba in 1965.
“I prefer Tito’s (vodka from Texas) anyway,” Miyares added.
In response to the United States’ ongoing support of Ukraine and a new round of sanctions, Russia’s Foreign Ministry announced Friday that 500 Americans are now barred from entry.
In addition to Miyares, another local name appeared on the list: U.S. Rep. Jen Kiggans, a Virginia Beach Republican. Kiggans, a former state senator in the General Assembly, was recently elected to Congress.
Last year, Russia announced nearly 1,000 Americans were banned. Thirteen Virginia legislators were named, including U.S. Sen. Tim Kaine, U.S. Rep. Bobby Scott and then-U.S. Rep. Elaine Luria.
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The Foreign Ministry did not explain why any of the individuals were selected. In addition to legislators, the most recent list also included journalists and comedians. Former President Barack Obama, The Late Show host Stephen Colbert, and CNN anchor Erin Burnett were among those named.
Gov. Glenn Youngkin did not make the list, despite his previous condemnation of Russian President Vladimir Putin.
“Putin’s invasion of Ukraine is an assault on a sovereign nation and will have devastating consequences for Ukrainian citizens,” Youngkin wrote last year on Twitter. “This senseless, unprovoked attack undermines democracy worldwide and we must hold Russia accountable.”
Russia invaded Ukraine on Feb. 24, 2022.
Last month, the United Nations’ Office of the High Commissioner for Human Rights reported that at least 8,490 Ukrainian civilians have been killed and 14,244 injured.
The OHCHR suspects the actual figures are considerably higher, as information from some locations has been delayed due to the ongoing conflict.
Katie King, katie.king@virginiamedia.com