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Reuters
RIGA/TALLINN
Russia and its president Vladimir Putin should expect tough sanctions after cyber attacks during the presidential election won by Donald Trump, US Republican Senator Lindsey Graham said on Wednesday.
Earlier this month, Republican and Democratic senators including Graham called for a bipartisan panel to investigate cyber-attacks against the United States by foreign countries, with a focus on Russia's alleged efforts to influence the US presidential election.
"There will be bipartisan sanctions coming that will hit Russia hard, particularly Putin as an individual," Graham said in the Latvian capital.
NATO members Latvia, Estonia and Lithuania, all ruled by Moscow in communist times, have been alarmed by Russia's annexation of Ukraine's Crimea peninsula in 2014 and its support for pro-Russian separatists in eastern Ukraine.
"It is now time for Russia to understand - enough is enough," Graham said. He did not elaborate further on what the sanctions could entail.
US intelligence agencies have concluded that Russia tried to influence the Nov 8 election by hacking individuals and institutions, including Democratic Party bodies. Russian officials have denied accusations of interference in the election.
Separately, the Estonian defence minister said the country was increasing its efforts to defend itself against cyber-attacks after NATO recognised cyber-attacks as an element of warfare, alongside land, sea and air.
In what Estonian officials say was a wake-up call, the country was hit by cyber-attacks on extensive private and government Internet sites in 2007. State websites were brought to a crawl and an online banking site was closed.
