The U.S. on Thursday applied wide-ranging penalties on Russia for its alleged role in hacking related to this year's presidential race. A set of sanctions target nine entities and individuals, including Russia's main intelligence directorate, the GRU, and its Federal Security Service, the FSB.
The Obama administration publicly announced in October it had assessed that Russia was responsible for the attacks, and later said the hacking could have only been directed by the highest levels of the Russian government.
For its part, Moscow has adamantly denied the charges. Obama said that the 35 officials being expelled are "intelligence operatives". The officials and their families were given 72 hours to leave the U.S.
The White House said Russia has been notified that it will be denied access to the compounds.