WASHINGTON (BLOOMBERG) – The Trump administration is sanctioning 15 Russian military intelligence operatives over efforts to interfere in the 2016 US election and the attempted assassination of a former double agent in Britain, the Treasury Department announced on Wednesday (Dec 19).

The new sanctions also target individuals allegedly involved in a Russian cyberattack of the World Anti-Doping Agency, and an additional former intelligence officer accused of working for oligarch Oleg Deripaska.

The announcement comes amid a strain in relations between President Donald Trump and Russian President Vladimir Putin, with the US upset over Russia’s capture of Ukrainian ships and sailors in the Kerch Strait near Crimea.

The US president abruptly canceled a planned meeting at the Group of 20 gathering in Buenos Aires late last month, citing Russia’s activities in Ukraine.

Trump has also been dogged by criticism related to the ongoing special counsel investigation into possible collusion between his campaign and Russia.

Earlier this week, Michael Flynn, his former national security adviser, appeared in court where a federal judge criticised him for lying to FBI agents about his conversations with the Russian ambassador to the US.

“The Treasury is sanctioning Russian intelligence operatives involved in cyber operations to interfere with the 2016 election and a wide range of other malign activities,” Treasury Secretary Steven Mnuchin said in a statement.

Mnuchin said the US would continue to work with international allies “to take collective action to deter and defend against sustained malign activity by Russia, its proxies, and intelligence agencies.”

The Trump administration has now sanctioned 272 Russian-related individuals – a statistic the president’s supporters frequently cite to refute criticism from a bipartisan group of lawmakers over his efforts to cultivate warmer ties with the Kremlin.

The elections-related sanctions specifically target individuals involved in Project Lakhta, a Russian effort to pose as US persons to interfere in American elections, as well as the release of stolen election-related documents.

The theft and release of e-mails belonging to the Democratic National Committee and Hillary Clinton campaign aide John Podesta have been attributed to Russian intelligence operatives.

The sanctions also hit Alexander Petrov and Ruslan Boshirov, the two Russian intelligence operatives who attempted to assassinate former Russian double agent Sergei Skripal and his daughter using the Novichok nerve agent.

The Kremlin has denied involvement in the attempted assassination.

And the sanctions will penalise Russian intelligence officers who hacked and then illegally released medical data of professional athletes held by the World Anti-Doping Agency.

The attack came after Russian athletes were banned from participating in the 2016 Summer Olympics following a widespread performance enhancing drug scandal.

The penalties will prohibit financial transactions between the sanctioned individuals and US citizens or businesses, limiting their access to global financial systems.

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