Months after hack, US poised to announce sanctions on Russia

Russian President Vladimir Putin visits the Coordination Center of the Russian Government in Moscow, Russia, Tuesday, April 13, 2021. The centre was set up as a line of communication with the whole of Russia for analysing and collecting information, promptly using big data and solving arising problems. (Mikhail Metzel, Sputnik, Kremlin Pool Photo via AP)

WASHINGTON — The Biden administration is preparing to announce new sanctions in response to a massive Russian hacking campaign that breached vital federal agencies, as well as for election interference.

That’s according to a senior administration official who confirmed the measures to The Associated Press on the condition of anonymity.

The sanctions have been foreshadowed for weeks by the administration.

They could include targeting Russian individuals and entities, and expulsion of a dozen Russian diplomats from the US.

They would represent the first retaliatory action announced against the Kremlin for last year’s hack, familiarly known as the SolarWinds breach.

The Biden administration is expected to coordinate the actions with European allies, according to CNN.

The measures are to be formally announced Thursday. They are expected to come as an executive order from President Joe Biden, and as coordinated sanctions from the State Department and Treasury Department, CNN reports.

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