President Obama kicks out 35 Russian spies and shuts down two of Moscow’s ‘compounds’ over election hacking row
Russia's Foreign Ministry says the sanctions are "counterproductive"
AMERICA has kicked out 35 Russian spies and closed two Russian compounds in New York and Maryland in response to a campaign of harassment by Russia against American diplomats in Moscow.
The move against the diplomats from the Russian embassy in Washington and consulate in San Francisco is part of a series of actions announced today to punish Russia for the intimidation and alleged interference in the US election.
President Obama said "All Americans should be alarmed by Russia's actions", adding: "I have ordered a number of actions in response to the Russian government's aggressive harassment of US officials and cyber operations aimed at 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."
Related stories
Among the measures announced were sanctions against Russia's FSB and GRU intelligence agencies; the designation of 35 Russian operatives as "persona non grata"; and the closure of two Russian compounds in New York and Maryland that the United States says are used "for intelligence-related purposes."
Meanwhile, the Department of Homeland Security and the FBI are releasing declassified technical information on Russian civilian and military intelligence service cyber activity, to "help network defenders in the United States and abroad identify, detect, and disrupt Russia’s global campaign of malicious cyber activities".
Obama said the hacking "could only have been directed by the highest levels of the Russian government," a contention the U.S. has used to suggest Russian President Vladimir Putin was personally involved.
SO WHAT DOES THE DONALD THINK?
President-elect Donald Trump said it was "time for our country to move on to bigger and better things."
The Republican has refused to accept U.S. spy agencies' determination that Russia hacked to try to help his campaign, arguing Democrats are merely trying to delegitimize his election.
Yet in the face of newly public evidence, Trump suggested he was keeping an open mind.
"In the interest of our country and its great people, I will meet with leaders of the intelligence community next week in order to be updated on the facts of this situation," Trump said.
And the Treasury Department’s Office of Foreign Assets Control imposed sanctions on two Russians - Evgeniy Mikhailovich Bogachev and Aleksey Alekseyevich Belan - for engaging in "malicious cyber-enabled activities".
Russian President Vladimir Putin's spokesman Dmitry Peskov said on Thursday that Moscow regrets the new U.S. sanctions and will consider retaliatory measures.
Moscow's Foreign Ministry says the sanctions are "counterproductive" and will harm ties between the two powerful nations and Russian politician Konstantin Kosachyov called the act: "The death throes of political corpses."
"To be honest, we are tired of lie about the 'Russian hackers', which is being poured down in the United States from the very top," Foreign Ministry spokeswoman Maria Zakharova said.
Trump, who takes office on January 20, has called for better relations with Russia. It was not clear if he will be able to immediately overturn the measures announced today.
But Trump ally House Speaker Paul Ryan called the Obama administration's new sanctions targeting Russia for meddling in the U.S. presidential election "overdue".
"While today’s action by the administration is overdue, it is an appropriate way to end eight years of failed policy with Russia.
"And it serves as a prime example of this administration's ineffective foreign policy that has left America weaker in the eyes of the world," he said in a statement.
He added that "Russia does not share America’s interests. In fact, it has consistently sought to undermine them, sowing dangerous instability around the world."
'RUSSIA'S BULLYING WILL HAVE CONSEQUENCES'
Mark Toner, the US Department of State Deputy Spokesperson, today said:
"This harassment has involved arbitrary police stops, physical assault, and the broadcast on State TV of personal details about our personnel that put them at risk.
"In addition, the Russian Government has impeded our diplomatic operations by, among other actions: forcing the closure of 28 American corners which hosted cultural programs and English-language teaching; blocking our efforts to begin the construction of a new, safer facility for our Consulate General in St. Petersburg; and rejecting requests to improve perimeter security at the current, outdated facility in St. Petersburg.
"Today’s actions send a clear message that such behavior is unacceptable and will have consequences."
US officials believe that a military spy agency in Russia hacked into the Democratic National Committee and stole emails later released by WikiLeaks.
Russian officials have denied the Obama administration's accusation that the Russian government was trying to influence the election.
Access to the two compounds, which are used by Russian officials for intelligence gathering, will be denied to all Russian officials as of noon tomorrow, the senior US official added.
"These actions were taken to respond to Russian harassment of American diplomats and actions by the diplomats that we have assessed to be not consistent with diplomatic practice," the official said.
The State Department has long complained that Russian security agents and traffic police have harassed US diplomats in Moscow, and US Secretary of State John Kerry has raised the issue with Russian President Vladimir Putin and his foreign minister, Sergei Lavrov.
";By imposing costs on the Russian diplomats in the United States, by denying them access to the two facilities, we hope the Russian government reevaluates its own actions, which have impeded the ability and safety of our own embassy personnel in Russia," the official said.
The US official declined to name the Russian diplomats who would be affected, although it is understood that Russia's ambassador to the United States, Sergei Kislyak, will not be one of those expelled.