US expels 35 Russian officials, slaps sanctions over hacking

TIL Desk/World/Washington-In apparent retaliatory action against alleged Russian hacking during the US presidential election, President Barack Obama has slapped a series of sanctions against Russia and expelled 35 Russian officials. “All Americans should be alarmed by Russia’s actions,” Obama said in a statement yesterday as he ordered a number of actions in response to the Russian government’s alleged aggressive harassment of US officials and cyber operations targeting the US election.

“These actions follow repeated private and public warnings that we have issued to the Russian government, and are a necessary and appropriate response to efforts to harm US interests in violation of established international norms of behaviour,” he said. The US has also ordered shutting of two of Russian compounds in the country.

The executive order issued by Obama provided additional authority for responding to certain cyber activity that seeks to interfere with or undermine US election processes and institutions, or those of its allies or partners. “Using this new authority, I have sanctioned nine entities and individuals: the GRU and the FSB, two Russian intelligence services; four individual officers of the GRU; and three companies that provided material support to the GRU’s cyber operations,” he said.