,,ii #aagth ,,congress #b;d ,session ,s4 #dhdh ,,in ,,the ,,senate ,,of ,,the ,,united ,,states ,september #ad1 #bjbb,mr4 ,graham 7for himself and ,mr4 ,blumenthal7 introduced the following bill2 which was read twice and referred to the ,committee on ,foreign ,relations ,a ,,bill ,to provide for the designation of the ,russian ,federation as a state sponsor of terrorism4 #a4 ,short title ,this ,act may be cited as the ,russia is a ,state ,sponsor of ,terrorism ,act4 #b4 ,findings ,congress finds the following3 7#a7 ,united ,states law authorizes the designation of countries that have repeatedly provided support for acts of international terrorism as state sponsors of terrorism4 7#b7 ,cuba1 the ,democratic ,people's ,republic of ,korea1 ,iran1 and ,syria have been designated as state sponsors of terrorism4 7#c7 ,at the direction of ,president ,vladimir ,putin1 the ,government of the ,russian ,federation has promoted1 and continues to promote1 acts of international terrorism against political opponents and nation states4 7#d7 ,under the orders of ,president ,putin1 the ,government of the ,russian ,federation engaged in a campaign of terror that utilized brutal force to target its civilians during the ,second ,chechen ,war4 7#e7 ,actions by the ,government of the ,russian ,federation against civilian centers1 such as ,grozny 7the capital of ,chechnya71 left countless innocent men1 women1 and children dead or wounded4 7#f7 ,since #bjad1 the ,government of the ,russian ,federation-- 7,a7 has supported separatists engaging in acts of violence against ,ukrainian civilians in the ,donbas region2 and 7,b7 has detained ,united ,states citizens as hostages4 7#g7 ,the ,government of the ,russian ,federation provides material support to ,syria1 a nation currently designated as a state sponsor of terrorism4 7#h7 ,according to the ,congressional ,research ,service1 the ,russian ,federation spreads terror throughout the world through private military networks of mercenaries1 such as the ,wagner ,group1 in an effort to project power cheaply and deniably4 7#i7 ,the ,wagner ,group collaborates with the ,ministry of ,defense of the ,russian ,federation to support the foreign policy objectives of the ,russian ,federation4 7#aj7 ,the ,department of the ,treasury-- 7,a7 has identified the ,wagner ,group as a designated ,russian ,ministry of ,defense proxy force2 and 7,b7 has stated that ,wagner's activities in other countries1 including ,ukraine1 ,syria1 ,sudan1 and ,libya1 have generated insecurity and incited violence against innocent civilians4 7#aa7 ,in ,february #bjbb1 more than #djj ,russian mercenaries from the ,wagner ,group were dispatched to ,kyiv with orders from the ,kremlin to assassinate ,president ,volodymyr ,zelensky and members of the ,government of ,ukraine4 7#ab7 ,on ,march #a1 #bjbb1 ,jason ,blazakis1 former ,director of the ,counterterrorism ,finance and ,designations ,office1 ,bureau of ,counterterrorism1 ,department of ,state1 wrote in reference to white supremacist groups that ,russia provides sanctuary to a ,u4,s4-designated terrorist group1 the ,russian ,imperial ,movement1 which operates with impunity in ,russian territory44 7#ac7 ,on ,march #ag1 #bjbb1 ,president ,volodymyr ,zelensky called for the world to acknowledge the ,russian ,federation as a terrorist state4 7#ad7 ,the ,verkhovna ,rada of ,ukraine has appealed to ,congress to encourage the ,department of ,state to recognize the ,russian ,federation as a state sponsor of terrorism1 noting that the ,russian ,federation has for years supported and financed terrorist regimes and terrorist organizations1 including being the main supplier of weapons to the ,assad regime in ,syria and supporting terrorists in the ,middle ,east and ,latin ,america1 organizing acts of international terrorism1 including the poisoning of the ,skripal family in the ,united ,kingdom of ,great ,britain and ,northern ,ireland1 the downing of a civilian ,malaysian airliner and other acts of terrorism4 7#ae7 ,on ,may #bd1 #bjbb1 ,ukrainian prosecutors accused #b ,wagner ,group mercenaries of committing war crimes against civilians near ,kyiv4 7#af7 ,on ,july #ah1 #bjbb1 the ,united ,kingdom's ,ministry of ,defence confirmed that the ,wagner ,group plays a central role in recent fighting in ,ukraine1 including ,russia's capture of ,popasna and ,lysyschansk4 7#ag7 ,the ,united ,states has a range of tools available to hold the ,russian ,federation accountable1 reduce its war machine1 and isolate it economically and diplomatically1 including by designating it as a state sponsor of terrorism and imposing corresponding sanctions4 #c4 ,designation of the ,russian ,federation as a state sponsor of terrorism 7a7 ,in general ,beginning on the date of the enactment of this ,act1 the ,russian ,federation shall be deemed to have repeatedly provided support for acts of international terrorism and shall be designated as a state sponsor of terrorism pursuant to-- 7#a7 section #aged7;c77#a77;,a77i7 of the ,export ,control ,reform ,act of #bjah 7#ej ,u4,s4,c4 #dhac7;c77#a77;,a77i772 7#b7 section #fbj;,a7a7 of the ,foreign ,assistance ,act of #aifa 7#bb ,u4,s4,c4 #bcga7;a772 7#c7 section #dj7;d7 of the ,arms ,export ,control ,act 7#bb ,u4,s4,c4 #bghj7;d772 and 7#d7 any other relevant provision of law4 7b7 ,technical and conforming amendments ,section #afje;,a7h77#f7 of title #bh1 ,united ,states ,code1 is amended-- 7#a7 by inserting ,congress or before the ,secretary of ,state2 and 7#b7 by striking section #f7;j7 of the ,export ,administration ,act of #aigi 7#ej ,u4,s4,c4 ,app4 #bdje7;j7714 #d4 ,waiver ,the ,president may remove the designation required under section #c7;a7 on the date that is #cj days after the date on which the ,president certifies to the ,committee on ,foreign ,relations of the ,senate1 the ,committee on ,foreign ,affairs of the ,house of ,representatives1 the majority leader and minority leader of the ,senate1 and the ,speaker1 majority leader1 and minority leader of the ,house of ,representatives that-- 7#a7 the ,russian ,federation is no longer supporting acts of international terrorism2 and 7#b7 removing such designation is in the national security interests of the ,united ,states4