US expands sanctions over Russia

The Obama administration on Tuesday imposed financial restrictions on 34 additional people and entities for helping Russian and Ukrainian companies evade US penalties and other infractions, prompting threats of retaliation from the Kremlin.

The action helps "maintain the efficacy of existing sanctions" established after Russia's annexation of the Crimean Peninsula last year, the Treasury Department said.

Russia quickly decried the announcement, vowing to take countermeasures.