The Biden administration on Thursday announced sanctions against Russia for its involvement in a recent major cyber espionage operation against the U.S., foreign influence operations around U.S. elections and other concerns.

As part of an executive order signed by President BidenJoe BidenHouse panel approves bill to set up commission on reparations Democrats to offer bill to expand Supreme Court Former Israeli prime minister advises Iran to ‘cool down’ amid nuclear threats MORE, the administration through the Treasury Department will block U.S. financial institutions from purchasing bonds from Russia’s Central Bank, National Wealth Fund or Ministry of Finance after June 14 and from lending funds to these institutions. The directive also leaves open the possibility for the administration to expand the sanctions on Russian sovereign debt.

Additionally, the Biden administration is expelling 10 personnel from the Russian diplomatic mission in Washington, some of whom U.S. officials say are representatives of Russian intelligence services.

ADVERTISEMENT

The Biden administration is also sanctioning six Russian technology companies that it says provide support for Russian intelligence operations, along with 32 individuals involved in Russian efforts to influence the 2020 election. An unclassified intelligence report last month said that Moscow sought to aid former President TrumpDonald TrumpTrump mocks Murkowski, Cheney election chances Race debate grips Congress US reentry to Paris agreement adds momentum to cities’ sustainability efforts MORE and damage President Biden’s candidacy.

Biden sent a letter to Congress announcing the executive order against Russia on Thursday, noting that he had determined that “harmful” activities by the Russian government, including election interference and hacking efforts, “constitute an unusual and extraordinary threat to the national security, foreign policy, and economy of the United States.” 

The sanctions have been in the works for some time. When Biden took office, he immediately ordered a review of Russia’s involvement in the massive SolarWinds hack, Russian election interference, the poisoning of Alexei Navalny and reported Russian bounties on U.S. service members in Afghanistan.

The SolarWinds hack, first discovered in December, involved Russian hackers exploiting software from IT group SolarWinds to gain access to as many as 18,000 customers, successfully compromising nine federal agencies and 100 private-sector groups.

U.S. intelligence agencies in January said the attack was “likely” carried out by Russian hackers but did not fully attribute it. As part of Thursday’s actions, the Biden administration issued a formal attribution naming Russia’s Foreign Intelligence Service (SVR) as the culprit behind what has become one of the largest cyber espionage attacks in U.S. history.

ADVERTISEMENT

As part of the response to the malicious Russian hacking, the FBI, the National Security Agency and the Cybersecurity and Infrastructure Security Agency issued an alert Thursday providing details on vulnerabilities used by the Russian hackers, along with ways to further defend networks.

The alert exposed five vulnerabilities currently being used by the SVR to compromise organizations, with the three agencies urging all cybersecurity groups to “check their networks for indicators of compromise related to all five vulnerabilities” and “implement associated mitigations.”

The administration, in coordination with U.S. allies, already announced sanctions to punish Russia for the Navalny poisoning and his subsequent jailing, with administration officials teasing since February that there would be a response around the SolarWinds hack in “weeks, not months.”

Shortly after the new sanctions were announced on Thursday, NATO’s governing body issued a statement expressing support for the U.S. actions.

“Russia continues to demonstrate a sustained pattern of destabilising behaviour,” the NATO statement reads in part. “We stand in solidarity with the United States.”

ADVERTISEMENT

The already-tense U.S.-Russia relationship has deteriorated further under the Biden administration as the new president has publicly blamed Moscow for its malign behavior, signaling a departure from the Trump era during which Trump often spoke warmly of Russian President Vladimir PutinVladimir Vladimirovich PutinKeeping China out of Taiwan will take a tough stand from Biden Putin gets second dose of Russian vaccine: report Kremlin says Biden-Putin summit contingent on US behavior MORE and questioned the U.S. assessment of Russian election interference.

In an interview with ABC News in March, Biden said that Russia would “pay a price” for interfering in the 2020 presidential election and responded in the affirmative when asked if he believed Putin was a killer. Russia reacted angrily to his comments and recalled the Russian ambassador to the U.S.

Biden spoke with Putin by phone on Tuesday and “made clear that the United States will act firmly in defense of its national interests in response to Russia’s actions, such as cyber intrusions and election interference,” according to a White House readout. Biden also raised concerns about Russian military buildup along Ukraine’s border and proposed a summit in the coming months where the U.S. and Russia could discuss a range of issues.

“These actions are intended to hold Russia to account for its reckless actions. We will act firmly in response to Russian actions that cause harm to us or our allies and partners,” Secretary of State Antony BlinkenAntony BlinkenOvernight Defense: Biden officially rolls out Afghanistan withdrawal plan | Probe finds issues with DC Guard helicopter use during June protests NATO will match US timeline to pull troops out of Afghanistan Indirect talks with Iran over nuclear deal to resume Thursday MORE said in a statement Thursday. “Where possible, the United States will also seek opportunities for cooperation with Russia, with the goal of building a more stable and predictable relationship consistent with U.S. interests.”

Updated at 9:05 a.m.

Click Here: soccer jackets