In an executive order released Thursday morning, President Joe Biden cited Russian âefforts to undermine the conduct of free and fair democratic electionsâ as well as their âmalicious cyber-enabled activities against the United States and its allies and partners.â (Official White House Photo by Lawrence Jackson) Anticipated for months, the Biden administration unveiled a sweeping set of sanctions and other actions against the Russian government, as well as private individuals and a number of Russian tech and defense companies, that U.S. authorities claim assisted Russian intelligence in hacking and election interference schemes. In an executive order released Thursday morning, President Joe Biden cited Russian âefforts to undermine the conduct of free and fair democratic electionsâ as well as their âmalicious cyber-enabled activities against the United States and its allies and partnersâ along with other offenses. The order gives the attorney general and secretaries of State and Treasury the authority to seize or block property and assets of any individual or business in the tech or defense sector if a determination is made that they have been aiding Moscow in these operations.