US adds Russia to religious freedom blacklist: Blinken

The United States has added Russia to a blacklist of countries singled out for "egregious violations of religious freedom," the State Department said Monday.

US Secretary of State Antony Blinken said in a statement that he was designating Russia, as well as China and eight other countries "as Countries of Particular Concern for having engaged in or tolerated 'systematic, ongoing, and egregious violations of religious freedom.'"

Nigeria, which was on the list last year and where Blinken is due to visit this week, was removed.