Biden administration sanctions Russia over Navalny poisoning and arrest

The Biden administration will announce new penalties on Russia in response to the poisoning and jailing of Russian opposition leader Alexey Navalny, senior administration officials said on Tuesday.

A U.S. intelligence community assessment concluded that Navalny was poisoned last year with a banned nerve agent called Novichok by the Russian security services, the officials said in a call previewing the announcement. Navalny received treatment for the poisoning in Germany and was arrested upon his return to Russia in January.

The new penalties will include sanctions on seven senior members of the Russian government, an expansion of sanctions under the Chemical and Biological Weapons Control and Warfare Elimination Act, new export restrictions on items that could be used for biological agent and chemical production, and visa restrictions, the officials said.