Sanctions were applied to the entire Rossiya Segodnya (Russia Today, or RT) media group and its subsidiaries: RIA Novosti, RT, Ruptly, and Sputnik.
Washington believes that Russian state media is attempting to influence the U.S. presidential elections and undermine voters' trust in the electoral process in the United States.
“Today’s action underscores the U.S. government’s ongoing efforts to hold state-sponsored actors accountable for activities that aim to deteriorate public trust in our institutions,” the statement quotes Treasury Secretary Janet Yellen.
“Treasury will not waver in our commitment to safeguarding our democratic principles and the integrity of our election systems.”
The department also noted that Russia is using its media resources to destabilize the Ukrainian government and influence the political situation in Moldova and other countries around the world.
“Russia routinely uses its intelligence services, government-directed proxies, and covert influence tools in these efforts,” the message added.
“The Kremlin has increasingly adapted its efforts to hide its involvement by developing a vast ecosystem of Russian proxy websites, fake online personas, and front organizations that give the false appearance of being independent news sources unconnected to the Russian state.”