U.S. slaps sanctions on Putin cronies for Russia's 'malign activity'

By Lesley Wroughton and Patricia ZengerleWASHINGTON (Reuters) - The United States imposed major sanctions on Friday against 24 Russians, striking at allies of President Vladimir Putin in one of Washington's most aggressive moves to punish Moscow for its alleged meddling in the 2016 U.S. election and other "malignactivity."The action, taken under pressure from the U.S. Congress, freezes the U.S. assets of oligarchs such as aluminum tycoonOleg Deripaska, a close associate of Putin, and lawmaker Su