Sanctions

Election-related sanctions

The US Treasury Department sanctioned 16 people and 16 entities related to Russia’s election interference efforts. They include South Front, News Front and the Strategic Culture Foundation, described by the department as disinformation sites with ties to Russian intelligence. Additionally, the department took new action to sanction Yevgeniy Prigozhin, a backer of the Internet Research Agency, which carried out Russia’s election interference campaign in 2016, and Konstantin Kilimnik, a Russian intelligence agent who falsely claimed that Ukraine had been behind the 2016 interference effort.

Cyber-related sanctions

President Joe Biden signed an executive order granting the Treasury Department new authorities to sanction Russian government hackers and the information technology companies supporting them. The department used the new powers to sanction a half-dozen Russian companies that conduct research and development and technical support to Russian intelligence relating to a number of hacks, including the massive Solar Winds breach. The bestknown sanctioned company is Positive Technologies, a cybersecurity firm with a global clientele, including major banks and telecoms; Microsoft lists it as a partner to which it provides early access to vulnerability data. Treasury officials said Russian intelligence services recruit hackers at conventions hosted by Positive, whose first major clients included Russia’s Defence Ministry in 2004.

Ukraine-related sanctions

Acting in partnership with the European Union, the United Kingdom, Canada and Australia, the US sanctioned Russian people and entities that have supported Russia’s claimed annexation of the Crimean Peninsula, which is not recognised by the international community. Russian companies that helped build a bridge linking Crimea to Russia and Russian officials serving in leadership positions in Crimea were sanctioned by the US and its allies.

General sanctions

The US targeted Russia’s ability to borrow money by prohibiting US financial institutions from buying Russian bonds directly from the Russian Central Bank, the Russian National Wealth Fund and the Ministry of Finance.

Other actions

The US expelled 10 Russian diplomats, including some the Biden administration said were representatives of Russian intelligence services.