Biden imposes sweeping Russia sanctions over SolarWinds hack and election interference

The Biden administration announces an expanded package of sanctions against Russia for its SolarWinds cyberespionage campaign that compromised nine federal agencies, its interference in the 2020 US presidential election, and the August 2020 chemical weapons poisoning of opposition leader Alexei Navalny. Biden signs Executive Order 14024 authorizing new sanctions authorities targeting Russian sovereign debt markets, intelligence services, and affiliated actors. The US also expels 10 Russian diplomats. National Security Adviser Jake Sullivan says the response would include "a mix of tools seen and unseen." Russia responds by expelling 10 US diplomats. The action is the most significant US sanctions package against Russia since the Obama era Crimea sanctions.