Washington ( CNN ) -- A day after the United States published a blacklist of alleged Russian human rights abusers , whom Washington slapped with personal sanctions , the Kremlin answered with a list of its own . It slaps alleged American rights violators with similar sanctions , official Russian news agency RIA Novosti reported Saturday . The U.S. list is part of a December 2012 law , the Magnitsky Act , which imposes visa bans and freezes assets of Russian officials believed to be connected to the death of whistleblower Russian lawyer Sergei Magnitsky , who uncovered the country 's largest known tax fraud . U.S. releases blacklist tied to alleged Russia rights abuses . Magnitsky was allegedly beaten to death in detention , a claim which Russian authorities dispute . The new law has been a thorn in the side of Moscow , which banned U.S. adoption of Russian children shortly after it passed . Washington 's blacklist , published Friday , contains 18 names . The Russian list also contains 18 and is a conscious , incensed reply to the U.S. list . Russian news agency Interfax published the names of Americans on Moscow 's list . It includes an FBI agent , a DEA agent and officials at a New York district court . `` This war of lists was not our decision , but we do not have the right to ignore such open blackmail , '' Russia 's foreign ministry said in a statement according to RIA Novosti . It accused the United States of basing its relationship with Russia on `` mentorship . '' Washington 's blacklist includes people said to be linked to the Magnitsky case , including senior officials in the Russian interior ministry , prosecutors , judges , prison officials and tax officers . The people on Russia 's mirror list have a connection to the U.S. detention camp in Guantanamo Bay , Cuba , RIA Novosti reported . It also includes Americans who were allegedly `` involved in the abduction and removal to other countries of Russian citizens and in threats to their lives and health . '' More on the Magnitsky Act . An additional , classified list , which was submitted to the U.S. Congress , includes people who are subject only to the travel ban . Other blacklisted names were tied to other high profile cases . One was accused in the 2006 shooting death of a Chechen man who filed claims against Moscow with the European Court for Human Rights in Strasbourg for human rights violations in Chechnya . The other is believed to have played a part in the 2004 murder of American Paul Klebnikov , the editor of Forbes ' magazine 's Russian edition , in what was viewed as an attempt to quash investigative journalism in the country . A senior State Department official told reporters the list was the product of an investigation based on information from non-governmental organizations and other information made available to the United States . The official said the rigorous standards used to develop this list were similar to those used to designate individuals and companies on other U.S. blacklists . Additional names would be added to the blacklist , should more information become available , the official said . Absent from the list were certain Russian officials close to President Vladimir Putin . But the senior State Department official said `` political considerations '' in the U.S. relationship with Russia were `` not a factor '' and that additional names could be added to the blacklist , should additional information become available . Russian reactions . President Vladimir Putin 's spokesman , Dmitry Peskov , said Friday that the U.S. blacklist would have a `` very negative effect on bilateral Russian-American relations . '' But he appeared to play down the long-term impact , saying ties between Moscow and Washington were multifaceted and still had potential for growth . Russia 's foreign minister , Sergei Lavrov , warned Friday that the publication of the list risked overshadowing the visit of National Security Adviser Tom Donilon , who is scheduled to visit Moscow on Monday . `` The choice of timing was not entirely favorable , '' Lavrov said , considering Donilon 's visit is meant to address the broad aspects of the U.S.-Russia relationship . If the list is published , we will react and our American partners know that . ''
Russia answers a U.S. human rights law with revenge sanctions on 18 Americans . The U.S. law already drew an angry response when signed into law in December . Comment: Russia 's blacklist includes members of a New York district court and FBI and a DEA agent .