1. Short title This Act may be cited as the Russia is a State Sponsor of Terrorism Act . 2. Findings Congress finds the following: (1) Pursuant to existing law, it is United States policy to designate countries that have repeatedly provided support for acts of international terrorism as state sponsors of terrorism. (2) Cuba, the Democratic People’s Republic of North Korea, Iran, and Syria are designated as state sponsors of terrorism. (3) At the direction of President Vladimir Putin, the Government of the Russian Federation has and continues to promote acts of international terrorism against political opponents and nation states. (4) Under the orders of President Putin, the Government of the Russian Federation engaged in a campaign of terror, utilizing brutal force targeting civilians during the Second Chechen War. (5) Actions by the Government of the Russian Federation against civilian centers, such as Grozny, the capital of Chechnya, left countless innocent men, women, and children dead or wounded. (6) Since 2014, the Government of the Russian Federation has supported separatists engaging in acts of violence against Ukrainian civilians in the Donbas region. (7) The Government of the Russian Federation provides material support to Syria, a nation currently designated as a state sponsor of terrorism, that has been used to target the Syrian people. (8) According to the Congressional Research Service, the Russian Federation uses private military networks of mercenaries, such as the Wagner Group, which collaborates with the Ministry of Defense of the Russian Federation, to support the foreign policy objectives of the Russian Federation. These private mercenary networks supported by the Russian Federation have spread terror in various parts of the world. (9) The Department of the Treasury identifies the Wagner Group as a designated Russian Ministry of Defense proxy force and states that Wagner’s activities in other countries, including Ukraine, Syria, Sudan, and Libya, have generated insecurity and incited violence