WASHINGTON — The Trump administration Thursday imposed sanctions on a series of Russian organizations and individuals in retaliation for interference in the 2016 presidential elections and other “malicious cyberattacks.’’ It was the most significant action taken against Moscow since President Trump took office.
The Trump administration also accused Moscow of a concerted hacking operation targeting the US energy grid, aviation systems, and other infrastructure.
The sanctions came at the same time the United States joined with Britain, France, and Germany in a statement denouncing Russia for its apparent role in a nerve-gas attack on a former Russian spy and his daughter on British soil, calling it a “clear violation’’ of international law.
The president has repeatedly dismissed the suggestion that Russia sought to influence the vote in his favor as a “hoax’’ and “fake news,’’ even as a special counsel, Robert Mueller, has concluded that it did and investigates whether Trump’s campaign collaborated with Russian agents. Trump said once that he accepted President Vladimir Putin’s denial of any involvement.
Before leaving office, President Obama expelled 35 Russian diplomats, seized a pair of diplomatic properties, and imposed sanctions in response to the election interference. But, until Thursday, Trump’s administration had refused to follow suit. While his administration has sanctioned some Russians for human rights abuses or for the intervention in Ukraine, the measures announced Thursday represented the first time Trump’s administration took action on the meddling, and it acted only after Congress passed nearly unanimously legislation meant to force his hand.
The sanctions targeted the same Russian organizations and operatives identified by Mueller in an indictment that outlined an audacious attempt to spread disinformation and propaganda to disrupt US democracy and, eventually, influence the vote on behalf of Trump.
“The administration is confronting and countering malign Russian cyberactivity, including their attempted interference in US elections, destructive cyberattacks, and intrusions targeting critical infrastructure,’’ Treasury Secretary Steven Mnuchin said in a statement. “These targeted sanctions are a part of a broader effort to address the ongoing nefarious attacks emanating from Russia.’’
The sanctions, targeting five Russian organizations and 19 individuals, will generally block them from traveling to the United States, freeze any assets in the country, and bar US businesses and individuals from doing business with them. Among the organizations sanctioned were the Federal Security Service, the successor to the KGB known by its Russian acronym FSB, and Russian military intelligence, known as GRU, although they, like several others, were previously penalized by Obama’s administration for the Ukraine intervention.
In addition to the election meddling, the attacks cited by the Treasury Department included the NotPetya cyberattack that caused billions of dollars in damage in the United States, Europe, and Asia in what the department called “the most destructive and costly cyberattack in history.’’ The United States and Britain formally blamed Russia for that cyberattack last month.
The administration also took the unusual step of naming the Russian government as the force behind a series of intrusions into US power plants and the computer networks that control power grids. The attacks, known as Dragonfly, pierced many layers of security and would have allowed the intruders to sabotage systems, experts say. But there is no evidence any sabotage took place.
Those attacks have been known to the US government for more than a year but kept highly classified. Symantec Corp., which markets systems that detect malware and protect against it, issued a detailed report about Dragonfly in October 2017, but stopped short of naming the Russians.
The cyberassaults last year targeted energy and nuclear power stations in the United States and Europe. Among the victims was the Wolf Creek Nuclear Operating Corp., which runs a nuclear power plant in Kansas, according to security responders and a joint report issued by the Department of Homeland Security and the FBI last June.
Those attacks suggest Russian state-sponsored hackers have been actively mapping out Western industrial, power, and nuclear facilities in preparation, some believe, for eventual sabotage.
Senator Bob Corker, Republican of Tennessee and the chairman of the Senate Foreign Relations Committee who helped broker the sanctions law last year, said he was satisfied with Thursday’s announcement but skeptical that the new punishments would ultimately change Russia’s behavior.
“I think Russia is on course to do what Russia is going to do,’’ he said. “I think it’s good that we’re doing it, and I think we ought to continue to push back, but I think they are going to continue to attempt to create the kind of disharmony that they have been good at doing.’’
Democratic Senator Jeanne Shaheen, who represents New Hampshire and serves on the Foreign Relations Committee, said the sanctions begin to deliver the tough punishment that’s ‘‘absolutely necessary’’ to defend the US democracy.
Sheehan has been an outspoken supporter of measures meant to counter Russia’s interference. In December, she was refused entry by the Russian Embassy because she was on black list created in response to sanctions.
‘‘I remain very concerned about President Trump’s disregard for the threat that the Kremlin continues to pose to fundamental institutions of our government and democracy, which is reflected in his administration’s lackluster response,’’ Shaheen said in a statement. ‘‘It’s absolutely imperative that the Trump administration marshal an aggressive federal response to Russia’s hybrid attacks on our country.’’
Material from the Associated Press was used in this report.
