Russian President Vladimir Putin is trying to meddle in the U.S. elections through cyberattacks, the Obama administration said Friday, officially placing blame for the attack that struck the Democratic National Committee and other major political figures.

Hacks on state election systems also had some fingerprints of Russia, but U.S. officials said they couldn’t be certain that the Russian government was involved.

The Homeland Security Department and the U.S. intelligence community have long suspected Russian meddling, but the statement is the first official blame the government has placed.

“These thefts and disclosures are intended to interfere with the U.S. election process,” the officials said. “Such activity is not new to Moscow — the Russians have used similar tactics and techniques across Europe and Eurasia, for example, to influence public opinion there.”

The officials didn’t blame Mr. Putin by name but said “only Russia’s senior-most officials could have authorized these activities.”

The statement was released two weeks after members of Congress went on the record to publicly blame Russia for the hacks.

Sen. Dianne Feinstein and Rep. Adam B. Schiff of California, the ranking Democrats on their respective Senate and House intelligence committees, released a joint statement last month indicating that Russian intelligence agencies were “making a serious and concerted effort to influence the U.S. election.”

Both lawmakers on Friday applauded the administration’s decision to publicly name Russia as the source of the attacks.

“We should now work with our European allies who have been the victim of similar and even more malicious cyber interference by Russia to develop a concerted response that protects our institutions and deters further meddling,” Mr. Schiff said.

Ms. Feinstein called the hacks “intolerable” and said that if Russia will not cease the intrusions then the U.S. “must develop a strong response.”

The hacks have exposed the sordid inner workings of the DNC, including officials’ plotting to derail Sen. Bernard Sanders’ bid for the party’s presidential nomination.

More recently, emails stolen from former Secretary of State Colin L. Powell’s account revealed his thoughts on politics, including insulting opinions about the Clinton family and Republican presidential nominee Donald Trump.

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