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US hits Russia with sanctions over cyberattacks, election meddling

The U.S. Treasury Department hit five entities and 19 Russian individuals with sanctions as the government seeks to address Russia's "ongoing nefarious attacks," including alleged meddling in the 2016 U.S. presidential election.

"The Administration is confronting and countering malign Russian cyber activity, including their attempted interference in U.S. elections, destructive cyber-attacks, and intrusions targeting critical infrastructure," Treasury Secretary Steven Mnuchin said in a statement.

The Treasury said since March 2016, Russian government cyber actors targeted the energy, nuclear, water, aviation, commercial facilities and critical manufacturing sectors. According to the Financial Times, a senior national security official said the Trump administration had detected cyber actors probing network systems that are used to operate the U.S. energy grid.

Among the entities targeted are the Internet Research Agency LLC for allegedly tampering or altering information to interfere with the 2016 election, and the Federal Security Service, a Russian intelligence organization for allegedly using cyber tools to target U.S. government officials and Russian individuals critical of Moscow.

Russian military intelligence organization Main Intelligence Directorate was also hit with sanctions as it was "directly involved in interfering in the 2016 U.S. election through cyber-enabled activities."

Three of the five entities and 13 of the 19 Russian individuals slapped with sanctions were indicted by Special Counsel Robert Mueller in February, alleging that they interfered in the U.S. presidential election in an attempt to support the campaign of President Donald Trump.

The department said it will continue to pressure Russia for its ongoing efforts to destabilize Ukraine, occupy Crimea and interfere in elections, and its endemic corruption and human rights abuses. It added that the use of military-grade nerve agent in an attempt to murder two U.K. citizens showed "reckless and irresponsible conduct" by the Russian government.

"As a result of today's action, all property and interests in property of the designated persons subject to U.S. jurisdiction are blocked, and U.S. persons are generally prohibited from engaging in transactions with them," the department said.