The US government sanctions more than twenty people and Russian entities that interfered in the elections through Internet attacks. The Government of the United States imposed sanctions on Russia Thursday for attempting to interfere in the presidential elections of 2016, according to senior officials of the Treasury United States.

The US government sanctioned more than twenty people and Russian entities that interfered in the elections through Internet attacks. Specifically, the United States sanctioned five entities and 19 people, blocking access to their properties in the United States. This is the first round of sanctions announced by the United States since Congress approved a sanctions bill against Russia last year, a legislation signed by President Donald Trump, but which until now had not been implemented.

Today action counteracts Russia malicious activities, including interference in elections and large- scale cyber attacks, such as the Notepad attack, attributed to the Russian army on February 15, 2018 in statements issued by the White House and the British government .This attack, considered the most destructive and costly in history caused billions of dollars in damages in Europe, Asia and the United States, and significantly interrupted the shipping, trade and production of medicines worldwide.

This decision comes shortly after the presidents of the United Kingdom, the United States, Germany and France jointly condemned the poisoning of ex- spy Serguei Skripal in Salisbury, in the south of England, and blamed Russia for this attack. Senior officials of this department who requested anonymity assured in a telephone conference with journalists that these sanctions are part of a series of future actions to continue pressing Russia. The sanctions imposed today are the toughest the United States has imposed on Russia so far for trying to interfere in the 2016 presidential elections.