Fri Dec 30, 2016 08:00:07
President Barack Obama has unleashed a barrage of retaliatory measures against Moscow on Thursday for meddling in the US election, imposing sanctions on two intelligence agencies, expelling 35 agents and shuttering two Russian compounds inside the United States.
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; AFP reported.
US intelligence had concluded that a hack-and-release of Democratic Party and Hillary Clinton staff emails was ordered by the Kremlin and was designed to put the Republican real estate mogul in the Oval Office.
"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," Obama said in a statement.In response to the hacks -- dubbed "Grizzly Steppe" by US officials -- Obama announced sanctions against Russia's military intelligence agency, known as GRU, and the FSB -- the rump what was once the KGB.
Trump said while he believes the US should "move on to bigger and better things," he would meet with intelligence leaders next week for a briefing on the situation.
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