Having already made it clear that any sanctions would be met with retaliation, IFX reports that Russian Commissioner Foreign Ministry on human rights, democracy and the rule of law, Konstantin Dolgov exclaimed that "any anti-Russian sanctions are futile and counter-productive." Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov added that Russia has no alternative than to make a proportional response, adding in a call with reporters that Moscow "doubted the effectiveness of the measures as the current U.S. presidential administration was stepping down in three weeks" while Duma Foreign Affairs head Slutsky slammed U.S. sanctions as "signs of real paranoia."

Slutsky added that "without any grounds for it another round of extremely aggressive steps towards our country are being made basing only on mere assertions."

Although the Obama administration is on its way out, Thursday's announcement has "shown its real face," said Andrei Krasov, first deputy head of Russia's State Duma Defense Committee. He questioned U.S. intentions behind the sanctions and suggest the new measures could weaken "actions against the international terrorism in Syria."

Some reactions via IFX (Google Translate)

US anti-Russian sanctions are counterproductive and are intended to cause damage including the future of the process of restoring bilateral relations, said Commissioner Foreign Ministry on human rights, democracy and the rule of law, Konstantin Dolgov, via "Interfax" . "Any anti-Russian sanctions are futile and counter-productive," he said. "I can only reconfirm that this hysteria demonstrates the complete lack of orientation by the outgoing US administration," said the Russian diplomat "Such unilateral steps are pursuing the aim of damage relations and complicate their recovery in the future", - he said.

Additionally, AP reports, a spokesman for President Vladimir Putin says Moscow regrets the new sanctions that the Obama administration imposed on Russia on Thursday and is considering retaliatory steps.

Dmitry Peskov told reporters on Thursday that the measures signal Obama's "unpredictable" and "aggressive foreign policy." Peskov says "Such steps of the U.S. administration that has three weeks left to work are aimed at two things: to further harm Russian-American ties, which are at a low point as it is, as well as, obviously, deal a blow on the foreign policy plans of the incoming administration of the president-elect." "As it said before, we consider this decision and these sanctions unjustified and illegal under international law," the presidential spokesman added. The US restrictions won’t be left unanswered by Moscow, Peskov said, promising “adequate, reciprocal” reaction “that will deliver significant discomfort to the US side in the same areas.” However, he added that “there’s no need to rush” with the countermeasures against Washington. "Considering the current transition period in Washington, we still expect that we’ll be able to get rid of such clumsy actions… of behaving like a bull in a china shop, and that we’ll be able to make mutual joint steps to enter on the path of normalization of our bilateral relations," the spokesman said. Peskov said Putin has yet to study what the new sanctions involve and work out what retaliatory steps could be.

like many of Obama’s other recent moves, this one is not really targeted at Russia. The additional sanctions will hardly affect Russia, though the wholesale expulsion of Russian diplomats will undoubtedly complicate the work of Russian diplomatic missions in the US. Peskov's point is borne out by Duran.com's Alexander Mercouris who notes thatThe additional sanctions will hardly affect Russia, though the wholesale expulsion of Russian diplomats will undoubtedly complicate the work of Russian diplomatic missions in the US.

The true target of these sanctions is Donald Trump. By imposing sanctions on Russia, Obama is lending the authority of the Presidency to the CIA’s claims of Russian hacking, daring Trump to deny their truth. If Trump as President allows the sanctions to continue, he will be deemed to have accepted the CIA’s claims of Russian hacking as true. If Trump cancels the sanctions when he becomes President, he will be accused of being Russia’s stooge. It is a well known lawyer’s trick, and Obama the former lawyer doubtless calculates that either way Trump’s legitimacy and authority as President will be damaged, with the insinuation that he owes his Presidency to the Russians now given extra force. Like so many of Obama’s other moves in the last weeks of his Presidency, it is an ugly and small minded act, seeking to undermine his successor as President in a way that is completely contrary to US tradition. Donald Trump – very wrongly – was one of those who cast doubt on Obama’s American birth; a deeply personal issue which Obama would be only human if he found difficult to forget or forgive. As for Putin, Obama’s dislike and jealousy of Vladimir Putin, who has consistently bested him throughout his Presidency, is hardly a secret. It seems that as he quits the Presidency Obama cannot put these feelings of jealousy and resentment aside, but is determined to use the few weeks left to him to make life as difficult for Trump and Putin as he can after he is gone.

Lastly, Leonid Slutsky, head of Russia's State Duma Committee on Foreign Affairs, warned:

"The US sanctions against Russia and the expulsion of 35 diplomats in 72 hours are the signs of a real paranoia. Without any grounds for it another round of extremely aggressive steps towards our country are being made basing only on mere assertions."

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As a reminder, Russia had pre-emptively warned of retaliation...

The outgoing US administration still hopes to finally have time to do something else for bad relations with Russia, and so she brought down. With clearly inspired leaks in the American media have once again trying to scare the extension of anti-Russian sanctions measures "diplomatic" and even sabotage against our computer systems. And this last "Christmas greetings" from the Obama team, already preparing for eviction from the White House cynically want to present as a reaction to certain "cyber attack from Moscow." Frankly, we are tired of the lies about the "Russian hackers", which continues to flow into the United States from the very top. The Obama administration has launched six months ago, this misinformation in an attempt to play up the desired for himself a candidate in the November presidential election, and not achieving the desired, looking for an excuse for their own failure, and with a vengeance is played on Russian-American relations. But the truth of the provocation orchestrated by the White House, sooner or later will still come out. Yes, it's already happening. How else to December 8 reported the US media, the State of Georgia State Secretary Brian Kemp he said that the authorities in the region followed where came hacker attack on its electronic system of vote counting shortly after the election. Footprints led to the computer at the US Department of Homeland Security. This information quickly tried to cover up the stream of new anti-Russian charges that do not contain a single proof. It only remains to add that if Washington really takes new hostile steps, it will get the answer. This also applies to any action against Russian diplomatic missions in the United States, which immediately ricocheted on US diplomats in Russia. Perhaps the Obama administration is quite indifferent to what will happen to the bilateral relations, but the story is unlikely to forgive her behavior on the principle of "after us the deluge."

In other words, Europe is about to get screwed again.

Sanctions certainly did not hurt before...