Biden Administration Imposes New Sanctions on Russia for Alleged Cyberattacks

The US recently announced sanctions against Russia in response to perceived cyberattacks and other hostile acts. These sanctions are intended to deter “Russia’s harmful foreign activities,” said the White House on Thursday. However, the measures come at a time when relations between the two countries are extremely tense.

The US implicates Russia of malicious cyberattacks and meddling in the presidential elections. The Russian government, on the other hand, has refuted any accusations and regarded any new measures as “illegal”.

New sanctions presented by the U.S. “will impose costs in a strategic and economically impactful manner on Russia” if it maintains “destabilizing international action,” according to the White House’s statement on Thursday.

The measures, detailed in an executive order, target 32 entities and officials alleged of trying to intervene during the 2020 U.S. presidential election “and other acts of disinformation”. Furthermore, ten diplomats are being expelled. Purchase or rouble-denominated bonds by U.S. financial institutions is also being barred.

In the previous year, cybersecurity researchers found a hack in a piece of software called SolarWinds, which enabled cybercriminals to access 18,000 government and private networks.

Given the large-scale compromise of US systems, the Biden Administration believed that the act required some response. Answers to whether the sanctions will deter Russia are highly unlikely, but the financial sanctions regarding Russian sovereign debt are an improvement.

The stance further shows that the current presidency is going to take a firmer stance compared to Trump Administration. Biden affirms that the sanctions are “resolute but proportionate”.

“I was clear with President Putin that we could have gone further, but I chose not to do so,” said Biden. “The United States is not looking to kick off a cycle of escalation and conflict with Russia.”

In return, the Russian foreign ministry called the sanctions “hostile steps which dangerously raise the temperature of confrontation.” The statement added that “the hostility and unpredictability of America’s actions force us, in general, to be prepared for the worst scenarios.”

US-Russia relations are in a particularly tense state after President Biden made it apparent in his first foreign policy speech in February that he plans to confront Russia. “The days of the United States rolling over in the face of Russia’s aggressive actions… are over,” said Biden in his speech.

Source: BBC