The sanctions are intended to cover the people responsible for a hacker attack called SolarWinds, for which Russia is responsible – as do the authorities in Washington. The Americans will impose it, according to the Washington Post, when they believe that the operation “was not synonymous with the type of espionage in which the United States was also involved.”

In the Potomac River, officials are devising a plan to boost cybersecurity measures to make it more difficult for Russia and other countries to break into the networks of the federal and private sectors. Nine US government agencies and nearly 100 private companies fell victim to a cyberattack dubbed SolarWinds last year.

The punishment for the cyber attack is intended to be part of a broader move to hold the Kremlin accountable for other activities, including the use of banned chemical weapons against Navalny. The Politico website reported Monday that the White House, in cooperation with European allies, is planning to impose sanctions on Moscow for trying to poison Navalny and imprison him.