US sanctions Russians over election interference

Measure also retaliates for SolarWinds breach

WASHINGTON – President Joe Biden expelled 10 Russian diplomats and sanctioned more than three dozen individuals and companies Thursday in retaliation for a massive cyberhacking of federal agencies and interference in the 2020 presidential election.

Biden’s second round of sanctions aimed at Russian President Vladimir Putin are tougher and more sweeping than the last. Russia is accused of hacking the networks of at least nine federal agencies five months ago to gather U.S. secrets in the SolarWinds cyberbreach.

Russia also allegedly tried to influence the 2020 presidential election by waging disinformation campaigns to help the candidacy of Donald Trump, mirroring meddling efforts in the 2016 election.

For the first time, the Biden administration publicly identified the Russian Foreign Intelligence Service, also known as APT 29, Cozy Bear and The Dukes, as the perpetrator of the SolarWinds attack, which the United States said gave Russia the ability to infect or potentially spy on 16,000 computer sysThe tems worldwide. Russia is accused of infecting software with malicious code to execute the broad-scope cyber espionage campaign.

The Biden administration sanctioned six Russian technology companies in addition to 32 entities and individuals accused of carrying out government-directed attempts to influence the election. The United States joined with the European Union and other allies to sanction eight other individuals and entities associated with Russia’s occupation in Crimea.

The 10 diplomats expelled from the Russian Embassy in Washington include representatives of intelligence services, the White House said.

National security adviser Jake Sullivan called the sanctions “proportionate measures to defend American interests and respond to harmful Russian actions” in an interview on CNN.

Sullivan said the “goal is to provide a significant and credible response but not to escalate the situation.” He said the president believes the United States and Russia can have “a stable and predictable relationship.”

The White House singled out reports that Russia encouraged Taliban attacks against U.S. troops in Afghanistan but said the new actions aren’t tied to the alleged bounties because of “low-to-moderate confidence” in the intelligence. White House said the response to the alleged bounties are “being handled through diplomatic, military and intelligence channels.”

In March, the Biden administration sanctioned Russia over the poisoning and detention of Russian opposition leader Alexei Navalny.

Tuesday, in his second phone call with Putin, Biden previewed actions, telling him that the United States “will act firmly in defense of its national interest” in response to cyber intrusion and election interference. He called for Putin to “de-escalate tensions” after Russia’s military buildup in Crimea and on Ukraine’s borders. Biden proposed a summit meeting in a third country with Putin to discuss U.S.-Russian relations.

In a television interview last month, Biden said Putin would “pay a price” for Moscow’s interference in the 2020 U.S. presidential election. Biden was asked whether he thought Putin is a killer. “I do,” the president responded. In response, Russia recalled its ambassador to the United States, and Putin pointed at the U.S. history of slavery and slaughtering Native Americans and the atomic bombing of Japan in World War II.

Secretary of State Antony Blinken said Thursday’s actions are “intended to hold Russia to account.”

“We will act firmly in response to Russian actions that cause harm to us or our allies and partners,” he said. “Where possible,” the United States will also seek opportunities for cooperation.

In response to the Navalny poisoning, the Biden administration sanctioned seven senior members of the Russian government last month. The United States added 14 entities to the Department of Commerce’s blacklist, mirroring sanctions imposed by the European Union and the United Kingdom over the attempted murder of Navalny.

Previous administrations’ actions have failed to change Moscow’s behavior, including Russian hacking. After Russian meddling in the 2016 election, the Obama administration expelled diplomats from the USA.

Though Trump was often reluctant to criticize Putin, his administration expelled diplomats in 2018 for Russia’s alleged poisoning of an ex-intelligence officer in Britain.

For the first time, the Biden administration publicly identified the Russian Foreign Intelligence Service as the perpetrator of the SolarWinds attack.