The Russian invasion of Ukraine has dragged on into its eighth week, and as more western leaders and journalists speak out against the atrocities being committed by Russian forces, the list of individuals under sanctions by Putin's autocratic state keeps on growing.

In an unexpected twist, the Russian Foreign Ministry issued a list of Canadians now barred from that country (like any of us want to even visit right now) that includes our very own milquetoast mayor, John Tory, and our brash buck-a-beer-loving premier, Doug Ford.

In a propaganda-heavy press release from the Kremlin, it was announced on Thursday that 61 people have been banned from entry, including Tory, Ford, the premiers of Manitoba, Saskatchewan, Alberta, and British Columbia, and the Mayor of Ottawa.

The addition of these individuals to Russia's "stop list" comes in response to what Russian authorities call "anti-Russian sanctions" imposed by Ottawa, including a ban on entry for Russian officials, military, experts and journalists that the Kremlin protests as "discriminatory."

Mayor Tory and Premier Ford will now be indefinitely forbidden from entry to a country they probably had no intention of visiting, Russia accusing them of being involved in "the development, substantiation and implementation of the Russophobic course of the ruling regime in Canada."

Mayor Tory responded to the ban, releasing a statement saying, "I am proud to stand up for democracy and stand against tyranny. No sanctions will ever stop or diminish my support for peace, democracy and the rule of law, my support for Ukraine, my support for the people of Ukraine, and my support for the Ukrainian-Canadian community here in Toronto."

Tory's statement goes on to decry the illegal invasion, calling for an end to the invasion and needless loss of life while reaffirming the city's support for Ukraine and refugees fleeing the war, closing with the rallying cry of "Slava Ukraini!"

I am proud to stand up for democracy and stand against tyranny. pic.twitter.com/oHi1SiIvPL

— John Tory (@JohnTory) April 21, 2022

It may seem like a random jab at a municipal-level politician, but Tory did help make waves with headlines around the world when he participated in the renaming of a square outside of the Russian Consulate in Toronto, now known as Free Ukraine Square in a pretty epic troll move.