{"id":94341,"date":"2021-04-16T05:49:38","date_gmt":"2021-04-16T10:49:38","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/PERSIAN-HERITAGE.COM\/?p=94341"},"modified":"2021-04-16T05:49:38","modified_gmt":"2021-04-16T10:49:38","slug":"us%e2%80%affurther-punishes-russia-for-cyberattacks-election-meddling%e2%80%af","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/PERSIAN-HERITAGE.COM\/en\/2021\/04\/16\/us%e2%80%affurther-punishes-russia-for-cyberattacks-election-meddling%e2%80%af\/","title":{"rendered":"US\u202fFurther Punishes Russia for Cyberattacks, Election Meddling\u202f"},"content":{"rendered":"

\"\"VOA \u2014 WHITE HOUSE – The United States cannot allow a foreign power to intervene with impunity in American elections, President Joe Biden said Thursday, after he took action to punish Russia for that and a major cyberattack.<\/p>\n

“Today I’ve approved several steps, including expulsion of several Russian officials, as a consequence of their actions,” Biden said at the White House. “I’ve also signed an executive order authorizing new measures, including sanctions to address specific harmful actions that Russia has taken against U.S. interests.”<\/p>\n

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Russian President Vladimir Putin gestures during a meeting via video conference at the Novo-Ogaryovo residence outside Moscow, Russia, April 15, 2021.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

Biden said he told Russian President Vladimir Putin in a phone call earlier this week that he could have gone further but chose to be proportionate and does not seek to escalate tensions between Washington and Moscow.<\/p>\n

“If Russia continues to interfere with our democracy, I’m prepared to take further actions to respond,” he added.<\/p>\n

Thirty-two\u202fentities and individuals\u202flinked to Moscow are being sanctioned\u202ffor disinformation efforts and interference in the 2020\u202fU.S.\u202fpresidential election.<\/p>\n

Ten\u202fpersonnel from Russia’s\u202fdiplomatic mission in Washington\u202fwere expelled, including\u202f”representatives of Russian intelligence services,”\u202faccording to the White House.<\/p>\n

The Biden administration is formally blaming\u202fthe SVR, the external intelligence agency of Russia, for\u202fthe massive cybersecurity breach discovered last year involving SolarWinds, a\u202fTexas-based software management company\u202fthat allowed\u202faccess to\u202fthe systems of\u202fthousands of companies and multiple federal agencies.<\/p>\n

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\"The<\/div>\n<\/figure>\n<\/div>
The Russian flag flutters on the Consulate-General of the Russian Federation in New York City, April 15, 2021.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

The Russian spy agency reacted by calling the accusation “nonsense” and “windbaggery.”<\/p>\n

The Russian\u202fForeign\u202fMinistry\u202fsaid\u202fit\u202ftold U.S.\u202fAmbassador\u202fto Russia\u202fJohn Sullivan\u202fthat\u202fthe new sanctions\u202fare a serious blow to bilateral relations\u202fand that Moscow’s response to them will follow soon.\u202fThe\u202fForeign\u202fMinistry, in a statement, added\u202fthat\u202fit was entirely inappropriate for Washington to warn Moscow against further escalation.<\/p>\n

Besides Thursday’s\u202fwidely anticipated\u202fmoves by the Biden administration,\u202f”there will be elements of these actions that will remain unseen,”\u202fsaid a senior U.S. official speaking to reporters on condition of not being named.<\/p>\n

Biden, during his seven minutes of remarks in the East Room on Thursday afternoon, said he believed he and Putin would meet for a summit this summer somewhere in Europe.<\/p>\n

At that meeting, the president said, the two countries “could launch a strategic stability dialogue, to pursue cooperation in arms control and security,” as well as address such issues as reining in nuclear threats from Iran and North Korea, the coronavirus pandemic and “the existential crisis of climate change.”<\/p>\n

Congressional reaction\u202f\u00a0<\/strong><\/p>\n

U.S. Representative Adam Schiff, who heads the House Intelligence Committee, said the president’s actions demonstrate the United States\u202f”will no longer turn a blind eye to Russian malign activity.”\u202fBut Schiff, in a statement, predicted\u202fsanctions alone will not be enough to deter Russia’s misbehavior.<\/p>\n

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\"Chairman<\/div>\n<\/figure>\n<\/div>
Chairman Adam Schiff, D-Calif., looks on before a House Intelligence Committee hearing on Capitol Hill in Washington, April 15, 2021.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

“We must strengthen our own cyber defenses, take further action to condemn Russia’s human rights abuses, and, working in concert with our\u202fallies and partners in Europe, deter further Russian military aggression,”\u202fSchiff\u202fsaid.<\/p>\n

“I am glad to see the Biden administration formally attributing the SolarWinds hack to Russian intelligence services\u202fand taking steps to sanction some of the individuals and entities involved,”\u202fsaid Senate Intelligence Committee Chairman Mark Warner. “The scale and scope of this hack are beyond any that we’ve seen\u202fbefore and\u202fshould make clear that we\u202fwill\u202fhold\u202fRussia\u202fand\u202fother\u202fadversaries\u202faccountable for\u202fcommitting this kind of malicious cyber activity\u202fagainst American targets.”<\/p>\n

Numerous Republican members of Congress, while praising the president’s action, are calling\u202ffor more measures\u202f\u2014\u202fparticularly\u202fto halt the controversial Nord Stream 2 project.<\/p>\n

“If the Biden\u202fadministration is serious about imposing real costs on the Putin regime’s efforts to undermine U.S. democratic institutions and weaken our allies and partners, then it must ensure the Russian malign influence Nord Stream 2 pipeline project is never completed,”\u202fHouse Foreign Affairs Committee\u202flead Republican Michael\u202fMcCaul\u202fsaid\u202fin a statement.<\/p>\n

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\"FILE<\/div>\n<\/figure>\n<\/div>
FILE – Workers are seen at the construction site of the Nord Stream 2 gas pipeline, near the town of Kingisepp, Leningrad region, Russia, June 5, 2019.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

Nord Stream 2 is a multibillion-dollar underwater\u202fgas pipeline project linking Russia to Germany.\u202fWork on the pipeline was suspended in December 2019 after it became a source of contention between Russia and the West.<\/p>\n

Nord Stream officials said\u202fRussia resumed construction on\u202fthe\u202fgas pipeline\u202fin\u202fDecember.\u202fThe United States has opposed\u202fthe joint international project\u202fbecause of possible threats to Europe’s energy security.\u202fNord Stream 2 is intended to double the annual gas capacity of\u202fan\u202fexisting Nord Stream pipeline.<\/p>\n

“Nord Stream 2 is a complicated issue affecting our allies in Europe,” Biden replied to a reporter following his speech. He said that he has been opposed to the project for a long time and it is “still is an issue that is in play.”<\/p>\n

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