Russian embassy trolls US over Obama's new sanctions with 'lame duck' tweet

The Russian embassy in London fired off a snide response on Thursday to President Barack Obama's expulsion of 35 Russian diplomats from the US, tweeting that "everybody," including Americans, will be glad to see the end of his "hapless" administration.

The tweet was accompanied by a picture of a duck overlaid with text reading, "LAME." It characterized the diplomats' expulsion as a "Cold War deja vu."

Earlier on Thursday, Obama had issued new sanctions against Russia in retaliation for alleged cyberattacks designed to interfere in the US election.

Obama also took issue with the treatment of American diplomats in Russia, accusing Russian security services and police of an "unacceptable level of harassment in Moscow" over the last year.

"All Americans should be alarmed by Russia's actions," Obama said in a statement. "Such activities have consequences."

The 35 diplomats have reportedly been given 72 hours to leave the US, and two Russian compounds in New York and Maryland have been closed.

Russia will be considering "appropriate" retaliatory measures to Obama's sanctions, President Vladimir Putin said Thursday through his spokesman.