(Updated at 6:05 p.m.) Punished meted out by President Obama for Russia's alleged interference in the 2016 presidential election by hacking the emails of Hillary Clinton staffers, among other things, was announced Thursday and includes economic sanctions and diplomatic ousters. The international brinksmanship will be directly felt in Maryland, where the president says an Eastern Shore compound used by Russian intelligence services will be closed.

The statement doesn't pinpoint the Maryland compound's location but says a similar site in New York will also be closed. Access to the two compounds will be denied to all Russian officials as of noon on Friday, Reuters reports. Along with the reported Russian efforts to influence the election, the White House says that the response is payback for increased harassment of American diplomats in Russia over the past year. The so-called "recreational compounds" owned by Russia since 1972 include a historic estate overlooking the Chester River in eastern Maryland and a facility in Glen Cove, Long Island, NBC News reports.



The Baltimore Sun says the Russians own a house on 45 acres in Queen Anne's County, near Centreville, that was purchased by the Soviet Union in 1972, purportedly as a vacation spot for diplomats, and later deeded to Russia when the USSR dissolved. Neighbors in the area include the U.S. State Department, which owns 4 acres nearby, the newspaper says.

»SEE ALSO: Obama Administration Announces Sanctions on Russia Over Election-Related Hacking Nice Washington Life photo shoot of the Russian spy compound on Maryland's Eastern Shore: https://t.co/ZiUAoMMqnL

— Josh Rogin (@joshrogin) December 29, 2016 So far, President-Elect Donald Trump has dismissed claims by Obama, U.S. intelligence agencies and some U.S. senators that blamed Russia for hacking and releasing Clinton campaign and Democratic National Committee emails.



Trump said in a statement Thursday evening: "It's time for our country to move on to bigger and better things. Nevertheless, in the interest of our country and its great people, I will meet with leaders of the intelligence community next week in order to be updated on the facts of this situation."

Other measures taken to punish Russia include the expulsion of 35 diplomats from the Russian embassy in Washington and consulate in San Francisco.



"These actions follow repeated private and public warnings that we have issued to the Russian government, and are a necessary and appropriate response to efforts to harm U.S. interests in violation of established international norms of behavior," Obama said in a statement. "All Americans should be alarmed by Russia's actions."

Russian hackers leaked emails in the fall by senior Clinton adviser John Podesta and other Democratic operatives, U.S. intelligence officials say. Earlier this month, Obama came close to blaming Russian President Vladimir Putin for orchestrating the hacks, saying that very little happens in that country's government without Putin's knowledge.

Sean Spicer, Trump's incoming White House press secretary, said Obama's assertions are an effort to undercut Trump's mandate. "You have a lot of folks on the left who continue to undermine the legitimacy of his win and the nature of how big that win was, and that is unfortunate," Spicer said, according to The Baltimore Sun. The Department of Homeland Security and the FBI will release declassified information on Russian cyberactivity to help American computer network administrators identify, detect and fight Russia's cyber activities, the president said.