Nick Clegg among 89 European Union politicians and other senior figures banned from entering Russia

Former Lib Dem leader Nick Clegg is among 89 European Union politicians and other senior figures who have been banned from entering Russia.

The name of the former deputy prime minister reportedly appears on a confidential Russian "stop list" handed to the EU's ambassador by the authorities in Moscow earlier this week.

Former foreign secretary Sir Malcolm Rifkind, the Chief of the Defence Staff, General Sir Nicholas Houghton, Defence Minister Philip Dunne and former defence minister Andrew Robathan are also understood to be among those barred from the country.

The Foreign Office strongly condemned the Russian action saying there was "absolutely no justification" for the list which appears to have been drawn up in response to EU sanctions against Moscow.

The disclosure comes after a number of EU politicians had tried to travel to Russia in recent months only to be told at the border that they could not enter because they were on the list.

The Foreign Office said that existence of the list would make no difference to EU sanctions imposed in response to Russia's support for separatist rebels fighting government forces in eastern Ukraine.

"There is absolutely no justification for this list. And the Russian authorities have not provided any legal basis for the list or for the names on it," a Foreign Office spokeswoman said.