Russia pledges reprisals for US hacking punishment

Moscow – Russia on Friday eyed retaliatory measures against the US after President Barack Obama kicked out dozens of suspected intelligence agents and imposed sanctions in a furious dispute over alleged election interference. The barrage of punishment against Moscow over cyber attacks dragged ties between Russia and the United States – already at their worst since the Cold War – to a fresh low less than a month ahead of President-elect Donald Trump taking charge.

Obama sanctions Russia for U.S. election meddling

PanARMENIAN.Net – President Barack Obama on Thursday, December 29 unleashed a barrage of retaliatory measures against Moscow for meddling in the U.S.election, imposing sanctions on two intelligence agencies, expelling 35 agents and shuttering two Russian compounds inside the United States, AFP reports. Making good on a promise to punish Vladimir Putin’s government for allegedly trying to tilt the 2016 election in Donald Trump’s favor, Obama unveiled a broad range of steps that will inflame tensions with both Moscow and the president-elect.

Russia expert: New US sanctions ‘clearly meant to throw a…

New US sanctions on Russia could complicate the Trump administration’s relations with the Kremlin, as the president-elect seeks to warm relations while other US officials insist on harsh punishments for election meddling. Boris Zilberman, a Russia expert at the Foundation for the Defense of Democracies, said increased sanctions from the US are “clearly … meant to throw a wrench into next [administration’s] dealings with Moscow.”