MOSCOW, September 30. /TASS/. US extension of sanctions against Russian citizens reflects the domestic policy crisis currently raging in the USA, the Russian Foreign Ministry said in a statement published on Monday.

"We understand that such steps reflect the domestic policy crisis raging in the US, during which the Washington establishment uses Russia as an instrument to reach its own opportunistic goals," the message states. "However, the officials who dance to the tune of blatant Russophobes need to realize that their actions contradict the public statements of the US administration on the desire to normalize bilateral relations; they also raise tensions on the international stage.".

Russia will respond to a new wave of US sanctions against its citizens, the Russian Foreign Ministry said.

"As before, this anti-Russian move will not be left without a response. <…> We also call on US politicians to stop their useless zero-sum games of sanctions and to regain common sense," the ministry informed.

"We understand that such steps reflect the domestic policy crisis raging in the US, during which the Washington establishment uses Russia as an instrument to reach its own opportunistic goals," the message states. "However, the officials who dance to the tune of blatant Russophobes need to realize that their actions contradict the public statements of the US administration on the desire to normalize bilateral relations; they also raise tensions on the international stage."

The Russian Foreign Ministry also expressed its "confusion regarding the new wave of anti-Russian sanctions."

Earlier on Monday, the US Department of the Treasury announced a new wave of sanctions against Russia in response to alleged attempts by Russia to influence the 2018 US midterm election.

The US officials have blacklisted two Russian citizens, Igor Nesterov and Denis Kuzmin, for alleged ties to the Internet Research Agency, which, according to Washington, attempted to influence the US presidential election in 2016. The sanctions also cover three entities registered in the Seychelles: Autolex Transport, Beratex Group and Linburg Industries. The US Treasury claims that these companies have ties to Russian entrepreneur Yevgeny Prigozhin, accused by Washington of financing information attacks against the USA carried out by the Internet Research Agency. The sanctions also target three planes and a yacht belonging to Prigozhin.

The statement published by the US Treasury also informed that additional sanctions would be imposed against Dzheykhun Aslanov, Mikhail Burchik, Vadim Podkopayev, Vladimir Venkov, and the Internet Research Agency, who had been blacklisted earlier.

If an individual is placed on a sanctions list, this means that their assets in the US have been frozen and that US entities are banned from doing business with this individual. Moscow has repeatedly refuted accusations of Russia’s attempts to influence US elections.