Russia's London embassy condemns 'lame' US over sanctions

Russia's embassy in London on Thursday condemned the United States as "lame", arguing Washington's decision to impose sanctions on Moscow harked back to the Cold War between the two nations.

"President Obama expels 35 (Russian flag) diplomats in Cold War deja vu. As everybody, incl (US flag) people, will be glad to see the last of this hapless Adm (US administration)," the embassy's wrote on its Twitter account.

The tweet was accompanied by a photo of a duck with "lame" written across the image, referring to the phrase lame duck when describing outgoing governments.

The embassy's post followed the US's announcement earlier on Thursday of a series of measures against Russia, including expelling 35 agents.

Tough sanctions will additionally be imposed on Russia's top two intelligence agencies, while two Russian compounds in the US will also be shut down.

President Barack Obama said the measures come after private and public warnings to the Russian government, following accusations against Russia over hacking during the US presidential race.

"I have ordered a number of actions in response to the Russian government's aggressive harassment of US officials and cyber operations aimed at the US election," Obama said.

The US president will be succeeded by Republican Donald Trump, who has downplayed the accusations against Russia and earlier this week dismissed Obama's plans to impose sanctions.