Yesterday the U.S. Department of the Treasury announced further sanctions against two Russian individuals and two Saint Petersburg based companies who are accused of assisting the previously sanctions Divetechnoservices side step U.S. sanctions. The U.S. Treasury stated that the initial sanctions were put in place because of work done by Divetechnoservices to assist the Kremlin with programs to interfere with seabed cables utilized by the United States. Russia’s Foreign Minister reacted by calling the U.S. allegations groundless and that both companies were “baffled” by the sanctions being imposed. Russian officials also warned that the Russian Federation would soon offer a retaliation against the U.S for the sanctions.