Biden prepares to impose tough sanctions on Russia for cyberattacks and election interference

Joe Biden, this Wednesday at the White House.Andrew Harnik / POOL / EFE

The administration chaired by Democrat Joe Biden is set to issue a wide range of sanctions against Russia on Thursday in retaliation for its recent forays into US issues through cyber espionage.

According to CBS, the new US measures will punish, among other issues, Moscow's interference in the 2020 presidential elections and the recent cyber attack on the SolarWinds company.

The Biden Administration is also expected to soon issue an executive order prohibiting US financial institutions from buying government debt issued by the Russian central bank.

The sanctions are expected to affect more than 20 Russian entities and include the expulsion of at least 10 Russian citizens residing in the United States, including intelligence officials and diplomats, according to sources consulted by the chain.

These measures will come after a telephone conversation between Biden and his Russian counterpart, Vladimir Putin, last Tuesday.

The democrat told Putin that he "will act firmly" in defense of his national interests.

The call was the second between the two that has been made public since Biden came to power on January 20.

The US president also demanded that the Russian president "lower tensions" with Ukraine and expressed his "concern" about the Russian military mobilization on the border with that country.

According to

The New York Times

, the US Administration will also address published reports on Thursday accusing Russia of encouraging Taliban fighters to injure or kill coalition forces in Afghanistan.

In a recent unclassified report of US espionage, it is claimed that Putin authorized influencing campaigns aimed at damaging the candidacy of President Biden during the 2020 elections and promoting former President Donald Trump, according to CBS.

"A key element of Moscow's strategy in this election cycle was the use of representatives linked to Russian intelligence to push narratives of influence, including misleading or unfounded accusations against President Biden," according to the report released by the Office of the Director of National Intelligence.

More information

• The US prepares sanctions against Russia for the massive cyberattack on federal agencies and the 'Navalni case'

• The US and the EU sanction a dozen senior Russian officials for the poisoning and arrest of Navalni

Last year, US cybersecurity researchers identified a hack of a computer program called SolarWinds, an intrusion that gave hackers access to 18,000 government and private computer networks.

The US intelligence service has identified hackers in Russia as responsible for the attack, who gained access to digital files from various US government agencies, including the Departments of the Treasury, Justice and State.

On his first day in office, Biden ordered a review of relations with Russia, which at the moment has meant the sanction of Russian officials for the poisoning of opposition leader Alexei Navalni.

Biden also raised tensions when in a television interview he answered affirmatively to a question asking whether "Putin is a murderer."