Russia blacklists some U.S. officials

MOSCOW, Aug. 10 (UPI) -- Russia's Foreign Ministry has prepared a retaliatory list of U.S. officials who will be banned from entering Russia, a report says.

The report in a Russian business newspaper said the list was prepared at the orders of Russian President Dmitry Medvedev after the United States imposed visa bans on Russian officials in late July, RIA Novosti reported Wednesday.

Names on the Russian list will not be disclosed, the report said.

"The Americans have not published their (lists) and we will also not publish them," a Russian official said.

The U.S. action is linked to the controversial death of Russian lawyer Sergei Magnitsky who died in November 2009 at Moscow's notorious Matrosskaya Tishina detention center.

Magnitsky, a lawyer for Hermitage Capital investment fund, was detained on tax evasion charges shortly after announcing he had uncovered massive fraud by police investigators.

Last month a Kremlin rights council said his death was likely the result of a beating and that the charges against him were fraudulent.