Sanctions – a ban on entry into Russia – imposed on Christopher Ray, Director of the US Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI), Avril Heine, Director of National Intelligence, Merik Garland, Attorney General, Major-in-Chief of the President of the Federal Office of Internal Affairs, Michael Karval, Michael Karval, Director of the Federal Prison John Bolton, National Security Adviser, and Robert Wools, former Director of the Central Intelligence Agency (CIA).
Lavrov also said that Moscow would symmetrically respond to the US decision on Thursday to expel ten Russian diplomats, offering the same number of American diplomats to leave Russia.
Lavrov also announced that Moscow recommends that the US ambassador to Russia go to Washington for consultations.
Lavrov also pointed out that Russia has the opportunity to “take painful measures for American business, but will keep them in reserve.”
Already reportedly punishing Russia for cyber attacks, electoral interference and other hostile acts, the United States on Thursday announced new sanctions against Moscow and the expulsion of ten Russian diplomats.
The order of US President Joe Biden “sends a signal that the United States will force Russia to pay in a strategically and economically influential way if it continues or escalates its destabilizing activities,” the White House said.
Sanctions were targeted at 32 individuals and legal entities and ten Russian diplomats were expelled from the United States, the White House said.
According to a White House statement, five of these diplomats are Russian secret services.
“The Treasury Department has imposed sanctions on 32 individuals and legal entities who have made attempts by the Russian government to influence the US elections in 2020, as well as other disinformation and interference,” the White House said in a statement.
Sanctions were imposed on 16 natural persons and 16 legal entities. The list of sanctions includes six Russian technology companies that provide support to Russian special services that carried out a hacker attack on SolarWinds, which is called the most dangerous cyber attack in US history.
Sanctions have also been imposed on four propaganda sites run by special services, which are claimed to be media – SouthFront, NewsFront, Strategic Culture Foundation (SCF) and InfoRos.
Sanctions are also a response to “abusive cyber-activities against the United States and its allies and partners, as well as Russia’s crackdown on dissidents and journalists outside its borders and the undermining of the security of countries important to US national security.”
In addition, the Ministry of Finance, together with the European Union, Australia, the United Kingdom and Canada, imposes sanctions on eight individuals and legal entities involved in the occupation of Crimea.
U.S. banks will also be banned from trading Russian government bonds. The US Treasury Department has issued a directive prohibiting financial institutions from participating in the placement of rubles or non-rubles in the primary market. According to the US media, this applies to bonds issued by the Central Bank of Russia, the National Welfare Fund and the Ministry of Finance after June 14, 2021.
A directive from the US Treasury Department allows the US government to extend sanctions to Russia’s public debt if necessary.
