By Trevor Hunnicutt, Humeyra Pamuk and Steve Holland
WASHINGTON (Reuters) – The Biden administration is planning to announce sanctions on Russian officials as soon as Thursday, in a move that will target several individuals and entities, according to several people familiar the matter.
A package of sanctions targeting several Russian officials will be coupled with orders also expelling some of them from the United States, according to one of the people.
The sanctions would be part of a set of responses by the U.S. government to a cybersecurity breach, which was identified in December and that the U.S. government has said was likely orchestrated by Russia, affecting software made by SolarWinds Corp, and giving hackers access to thousands of companies and government offices that used its products.
Some 30 entities are expected to face sanctions for the SolarWinds breach or interference in U.S. elections, with about 10 Russian officials being expelled.
“The hostility and unpredictability of America’s actions force us in general to be prepared for the worst scenarios,” Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov told reporters last week.
The White House as well as the U.S. Departments of State and Treasury did not immediately respond to a request for comment.
(Reporting by Trevor Hunnicutt, Humeyra Pamuk and Steve Holland; Editing by Shri Navaratnam and Grant McCool)
