UPDATING: President Obama Takes Dramatic Action to Punish Russia for Intervention in U.S. Election

NYT: ‘Strongest American Response Ever Taken to a State-Sponsored Cyberattack Aimed at the United States’

President Barack Obama has just taken dramatic and extensive action to punish Russia and the Russian government for interfering the in U.S. election. Among the president’s actions are ejecting 35 Russian intelligence operatives and imposing sanctions on two of Russia’s top intelligence services, along with four of their top officers, The New York Times reports.

The 35 operatives, currently in the U.S. As diplomats, have been given 72 hours to leave the country and have been declared “persona non grata,” persons not welcome in the U.S. Russian diplomatic compounds are also being shuttered.

The Times calls the move “sweeping,” and “the strongest American response ever taken to a state-sponsored cyberattack aimed at the United States.”

The President says these actions are not the sum total of the federal government’s response to Russian intervention in the U.S. 

The Times notes that the sanctions will effectively require Donald Trump, upon taking office, to decide to retain them, or remove them. Should he choose the latter, he would be in direct opposition to the findings of America’s 17 intelligence agencies.

NCRM will update this post throughout the day.

UPDATE I: 2:47 PM EST –
Politico cybersecurity reporter notes Dept. of Homeland Security and FBI “release report on Russian cyberattack campaign dubbed GRIZZLY STEPPE.”

UPDATE II: 2:52 PM EST –
President Obama released a statement on his actions. Here’s how it begins:

Today, I have ordered a number of actions in response to the Russian government’s aggressive harassment of U.S. officials and cyber operations aimed at the U.S. election. These actions follow repeated private and public warnings that we have issued to the Russian government, and are a necessary and appropriate response to efforts to harm U.S. interests in violation of established international norms of behavior. 

All Americans should be alarmed by Russia’s actions. In October, my Administration publicized our assessment that Russia took actions intended to interfere with the U.S. election process.  These data theft and disclosure activities could only have been directed by the highest levels of the Russian government. Moreover, our diplomats have experienced an unacceptable level of harassment in Moscow by Russian security services and police over the last year.  Such activities have consequences.  Today, I have ordered a number of actions in response.

UPDATE III: 2:58 PM EST –
U.S. State Dept. issues statement saying ejecting the 35 Russian operatives/diplomats is a response to “Russia’s interference in the U.S. election and to a pattern of harassment of our diplomats overseas that has increased over the last four years, including a significant increase in the last 12 months.”

“This harassment has involved arbitrary police stops, physical assault, and the broadcast on State TV of personal details about our personnel that put them at risk. In addition, the Russian Government has impeded our diplomatic operations by, among other actions: forcing the closure of 28 American corners which hosted cultural programs and English-language teaching; blocking our efforts to begin the construction of a new, safer facility for our Consulate General in St. Petersburg; and rejecting requests to improve perimeter security at the current, outdated facility in St. Petersburg.” 

UPDATE III: 3:09 PM EST –
In a fact sheet provided by the Obama administration the Treasury Dept. makes stunning allegations, stating “two Russian individuals, Evgeniy Bogachev and Aleksey Belan,” are being sanctioned “under a pre-existing portion of the Executive Order for using cyber-enabled means to cause misappropriation of funds and personal identifying information.”

Read this:

“Evgeniy Mikhailovich Bogachev is designated today for having engaged in significant malicious cyber-enabled misappropriation of financial information for private financial gain. Bogachev and his cybercriminal associates are responsible for the theft of over $100 million from U.S. financial institutions, Fortune 500 firms, universities, and government agencies.”

“Aleksey Alekseyevich Belan engaged in the significant malicious cyber-enabled misappropriation of personal identifiers for private financial gain.  Belan compromised the computer networks of at least three major United States-based e-commerce companies.”

[Bolding ours]

UPDATE IV: 3:21 PM EST –

Chilling that this exists –
Here’s info on a huge Russian government-owned spy compound in The Bronx that the U.S. just shut down. Read these two excerpts:

 

More shortly. 

This is a breaking news and developing story. Details may change. This story will be updated, and NCRM will likely publish follow-up stories on this news. Stay tuned and refresh for updates.