The EU has described a Russian entry ban imposed on 89 European politicians and officials as "totally arbitrary and unjustified".

The list includes the general secretary of the EU council Uwe Corsepius and Britain's former deputy Prime Minister Nick Clegg.

The former minister of state for Northern Ireland Andrew Robathan - who has just retired from politics - is also on the list.

Many on the list are seen as critics of Vladimir Putin's government.

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

The list was handed to the EU's ambassador by the Moscow authorities earlier this week after repeated requests.

The measure will be widely seen as a response to EU sanctions against Russia over its support for separatist rebels fighting government forces in eastern Ukraine.

An EU spokesman said: "The list with 89 names has now been shared by the Russian authorities. We don't have any other information on legal basis, criteria and process of this decision.

"We consider this measure as totally arbitrary and unjustified, especially in the absence of any further clarification and transparency.

"We are keeping in close contact with the member states involved."

The UK's Foreign Office said the existence of the list would not affect EU sanctions.

"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.

Nick Clegg has been an outspoken critic of Russia, with Lib Dem ministers snubbing last year's Winter Olympics in Sochi because of the country's anti-gay laws.

He also argued Russia should lose the right to host the 2018 World Cup following the downing of a civilian airliner in eastern Ukraine last July, with the loss of 298 lives.