It’s been an open question – what recriminations would Russia face over the poisoning of opposition figure Alexei Navalny? There’s something of an answer with America imposing sanctions against 7 Russian government officials and 14 entities overnight. And the European Union also moved against 4 Russian officials. The moves were underpinned by US intelligence that concluded the Russian Government led by President Vladimir Putin was behind the Novichok attack on his critic. Navalny fell ill on a flight out of Siberia in August and was airlifted to Germany for treatment. He recovered and was arrested by Russian officials when he returned to Russia in January, and has since been jailed. The sanctions will place export and visa restrictions on those said to be involved in chemical and biological production. Moscow denies involvement in Navalny’s poisoning. It is the first move the new Biden administrations has made against Russia, with pundits saying it’s a sharp turn away from Trump’s more accommodating approach.