Treasury sanctions Russian officers for election interference

The Treasury Department announced sanctions Friday against two Russian Federal Security Service (FSB) officers for their role in global malign influence operations.

The two officers, who were recently indicted by the Department of Justice (DOJ) on the same matter, are accused of influencing local elections in the U.S. 

Authorities say the Russian officers recruited six U.S. co-conspirators, including two who ran for local office, to collect information on the activities of several political groups.

The agency accused the Kremlin of creating division in the U.S., including reducing confidence in democratic processes, weakening U.S. diplomatic ties and encouraging anti-U.S. views. 

“The Kremlin continues to target a key pillar of democracy around the world — free and fair elections,” said Brian E. Nelson, under secretary of the Treasury for Terrorism and Financial Intelligence. “The United States will not tolerate threats to our democracy.” 

The sanctions are part of a recent crackdown by U.S. authorities on Russian cybercriminals. 

Last month, the DOJ said it disrupted a Russian cyber espionage group that allegedly released sophisticated malware onto computer networks across the world.

The agency attributed the malware to Turla, a hacking unit within the FSB. For nearly 20 years, Turla used the malware to steal sensitive information from hundreds of computers in at least 50 countries, including members of NATO.

And earlier this month, the DOJ unsealed charges against two Russian nationals accused of participating in a 2011 hack of cryptocurrency exchange Mt. Gox.

The agency said the two Russians were charged with conspiring to launder about 647,000 bitcoins from the Mt. Gox hack.