Cuban-American reps sanctioned by Russia feel honored and proud

Cuban-born Republican Congresswoman Maria Elvira Salazar announced on Wednesday that the Russian government included her name in the list of people sanctioned for showing support to Ukraine amid the invasion.

Salazar reacted positively to the measure, recalling when the Castro regime carried out the same action against her.

"They have sanctioned me: I am on an exclusion list on an ongoing basis," the congresswoman declared on Wednesday.

"Fidel Castro did it one day, and now Vladimir Putin. That means I'm doing my job well—what an honor," Salazar celebrated on her official Twitter account.

El régimen ruso me ha sancionado: estoy en una lista de “excluidos de manera continua”.

Ya lo hizo Fidel Castro un día y ahora Vladimir Putin. Eso significa que estoy haciendo bien mi trabajo.

¡Qué honor! pic.twitter.com/Se2BKmnV9h

— María Elvira Salazar 🇺🇸 (@MaElviraSalazar) April 13, 2022

Cuban-American Congressman Carlos Gimenez is now also part of the list of people sanctioned by Russia.

“Hi, I’m Carlos Gimenez and I’ve been sanctioned by Russia for speaking out against their war crimes against Ukraine,” he wrote on his Twitter. “I want to thank Vladimir Putin, who is losing his war BADLY, for making my day!”

Gimenez called the Russian sanction "an incredible honor."

Turns out I’ve been sanctioned by the Russians. Good, what an incredible badge of honor!

— Rep. Carlos A. Gimenez (@RepCarlos) April 13, 2022

Russian sanctions were also applied to Secretary of State Antony Blinken, Secretary of Defense Lloyd Austin, National Security Advisor Jake Sullivan, CIA chief William Burns, and former Secretary of State and presidential candidate Hillary Clinton.

None of them will be allowed to enter Russia.

Since the Russian invasion of Ukraine began on February 24, Congresswoman Salazar has been in favor of decisively confronting the Russian regime.

In mid-March, she favored declaring a no-fly zone over Ukraine, a wish repeatedly expressed by Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky. However, the measure was ruled out by the United States and its NATO allies on the grounds that it would entail the shooting down of Russian fighter jets and further extend the conflict.

The congresswoman told The Grey Zone website that she supported the option "and anything that has to do with punishing Vladimir Putin and helping Ukrainians."