Treasury Secretary Steven Mnuchin addresses the House Financial Services Committee on July 12, 2018. On Wednesday the Treasury Department sanctioned 15 current or former Russian intelligence officers tied to interference in the 2016 presidential election, globalize cyber crimes and an assassination attempt in Britain. File Photo by Kevin Dietsch/UPI |
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Dec. 19 (UPI) -- The Treasury Department officially sanctioned 15 Russian military intelligence operatives on Wednesday.
Nine members of the GRU, Russia's intelligence service, who were previously indicted by special counsel Robert Mueller's investigation into alleged Russian interference in the 2016 presidential election, are on the list. Included is Elena Alekseevna Khusyayova, who was indicted by the Justice Department in October for her alleged involvement in "Project Lakhta," an influence campaign targeting the elections.
The department also sanctioned two former GRU officers involved in the 2016 attempted assassination, using nerve gas, of former Russian agent Sergei Skripal and his daughter, in Britain.
The former officers, Alexander Petrov and Ruslan Boshirov, have been charged with attempted murder and use of a nerve agent, although Russia has denied involvement in the attack.
Four other GRU officials were also sanctioned for alleged roles in a series of malicious cyberattacks, including operations targeting the International Court of Justice's Organization for the Prohibition of Chemical Weapons and the World Anti-Doping Agency of the Olympics.
"Treasury is sanctioning Russian intelligence operatives involved in cyber operations to interfere with the 2016 election and a wide range of other malign activities. We are taking action against operatives working on behalf of a sanctioned oligarch, hacking the World Anti-Doping Agency and other international organizations, and engaging in other subversive actions," said Treasury Secretary Steven Mnuchin said in a statement on Wednesday. "The United States will continue to work with international allies and partners to take collective action to deter and defend against sustained malign activity by Russia, its proxies, and intelligence agencies."
The sanctions indicate that all property and other interests in U.S. jurisdiction of those on the list are blocked, and U.S. citizens are prohibited from engaging in transactions with those designated.
