Russia promises retaliation against an 'orchestrated' US disinformation campaign

Russia has promised to retaliate against what it called an “orchestrated campaign” of US disinformation over allegations that it interfered with the American presidential election.

Foreign Ministry spokeswoman Maria Zakharova said her country was “tired of the lie about the 'Russian hackers', which is being poured down in the United States from the very top”.

Her comments came as US Senator Lindsey Graham warned that Moscow should expect further sanctions following the accusations that Russia intervened in the US presidential election to help Donald Trump.

US security agencies, the CIA and the FBI both recently said that they believed state-backed Russian hackers were responsible for the leak of thousands of emails between high ranking members of the Democrat party over the Summer.

CIA officials said it was “quite clear” that Russia wanted to make sure Mr Trump entered the White House.

But the former reality TV star dismissed their conclusions and claimed it was “just another excuse” for Hillary Clinton’s loss.

He has subsequently indicated that he plans to move US foreign policy towards Russia and away from the Middle East and Eastern Europe.

Asked to comment on the news that President Obama's administration may be planning fresh sanctions against Russia before he leaves office next month, Mr Trump said: “We ought to get on with our lives”.

Speaking at his resort in Mar-a-Lago, Florida, he said: “I think that computers have complicated lives very greatly. The whole age of computer has made it where nobody knows exactly what's going on.

“We have speed. We have a lot of other things but I'm not sure you have the kind of security that you need. But I have not spoken with the senators and I certainly will be over a period of time.”

The new sanctions are said to be coupled with a revised version of an 2015 executive order which gave the President the power to respond to cyber attacks from overseas. However, it did not cover foreign powers’ meddling in US elections.

Relations between Russia and the West reached a new low in 2016 as both Moscow and several Eastern European countries ramp up military spending.

Last month Nato announced 300,000 ground troops stationed in Europe had been put on “high alert” amid fears about Russian rearming.

“We have seen a more assertive Russia implementing a substantial military build-up over many years – tripling defence spending since 2000 in real terms; developing new military capabilities; exercising their forces and using military force against neighbours," said Jens Stoltenberg, the secretary-general of Nato.

“We have also seen Russia using propaganda in Europe among Nato allies and that is exactly the reason why Nato is responding. We are responding with the biggest reinforcement of our collective defence since the end of the Cold War.”

Meanwhile, Russia performed a military drill in Serbia which coincided with a Nato emergency exercise drill in neighbouring Montenegro.

It also staged a massive nuclear war training exercise involving around 200,000 military emergency personnel and 40 million civillians because “schizophrenics from America are sharpening nuclear weapons for Moscow”.