US SANCTIONS ON RUSSIA
■ The Biden administration is poised to launch long-awaited measures against Russia – including far-reaching financial sanctions – for disrupting the 2020 election and the hacking of US networks
■ Sovereign debt: Restrict Russia’s ability to raise dollar-denominated government bonds by banning foreign lenders from American financial markets. Russia uses bonds to finance its budget deficit. Foreign pension funds and asset managers also hold around $42 billion of rouble-denominated debt
■ Expulsions: Ten Russian diplomats plus intelligence officials to be expelled – some due to allegations that Kremlin offered to pay bounties to Taliban militants to kill American troops in Afghanistan
■ Ukraine: New penalties coordinated with UK and EU allies for Russia’s increased threat to Ukraine
■ Unseen measures: Expanded cyber operations against Russia’s Foreign Intelligence Service for SolarWinds hack which stole data from at least nine government agencies – including Energy, Homeland Security, Pentagon, Treasury, Commerce, US Postal Service, plus more than 100 U.S. companies
■ 2014-present: Since President Vladimir Putin annexed Ukraine’s Crimea Peninsula, 700 Russian people and companies – plus many close Putin allies – have been targeted by U.S. sanctions
■ Mar 2, 2021: Biden imposes sanctions on seven senior members of Russian government – including head of Federal Security Service – after opposition leader Aleksei Navalny poisoned