US imposes fresh sanctions for Russian cyber-related activity

The United States on Tuesday imposed sanctions on two Russians, one Russian company and one Slovakian firm for what it said were their actions to help another Russian company avoid sanctions targeting Russia’s malicious cyber-related activities.

The U.S. Treasury said in a statement that the sanctioned companies - Saint Petersburg-based Vela-Marine Ltd and Slovakia-based Lacno S.R.O. - and the two individuals helped Divetechnoservices evade previously imposed sanctions.

The United States had sanctioned Divetechnoservices in June for procuring underwater equipment and diving systems for Russian government agencies, including Russia’s FSB intelligence agency.

The Obama administration sanctioned the FSB in December 2016, citing the Russian government’s aggressive harassment of U.S. officials and cyber operations aimed at the 2016 U.S. presidential election.

In its statement, the U.S. Treasury said the two individuals sanctioned on Tuesday - Marina Igorevna Tsareva and Anton Aleksandrovich Nagibin - had both helped Divetechnoservices attempt to circumvent U.S. sanctions.