“These targeted sanctions are a part of a broader effort to address the ongoing nefarious attacks emanating from Russia.”

The list of Russians now under sanction includes the 13 indicted last month by U.S. special counsel Robert Mueller as part of his Russia-related investigation into alleged election interference. The other, a Russian businessman named Yevgeny Viktorovich Prigozhin, was already on the list but was additionally identified as a person linked to the agency. “These targeted sanctions are a part of a broader effort to address the ongoing nefarious attacks emanating from Russia.”

Among those penalized was Yevgeny Prigozhin, who is known as Russian President Vladimir Putin’s “chef” and who ran the St. Petersburg-based Internet Research Agency, and 12 of the agency’s employees. “Through this activity, the IRA posted thousands of ads that reached millions of people online.”

The sanctions also affect the Russian Federal Security Service, or FSB, and six of its employees, for cyberattacks more broadly, including those targeting Russian journalists, opposition figures, foreign politicians and U.S. officials.
The Trump administration imposes financial sanctions on 19 Russian nationals, including 12 of those indicted in the Special Counsel investigation.