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[Congressional Bills 119th Congress]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office]
[S. 2978 Introduced in Senate (IS)]
<DOC>
119th CONGRESS
1st Session
S. 2978
To provide for the designation of the Russian Federation as a state
sponsor of terrorism.
_______________________________________________________________________
IN THE SENATE OF THE UNITED STATES
October 7, 2025
Mr. Graham (for himself, Mr. Blumenthal, Mrs. Britt, and Ms. Klobuchar)
introduced the following bill; 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 terrorism.
Be it enacted by the Senate and House of Representatives of the
United States of America in Congress assembled,
SECTION 1. SHORT TITLE.
This Act may be cited as the ``Designating the Russian Federation
as a State Sponsor of Terrorism Act''.
SEC. 2. FINDINGS.
Congress finds the following:
(1) The Russian Federation's aggression in Ukraine has
targeted innocent civilians, including children.
(2) The Government of Ukraine estimates that at least 648
Ukrainian children have been killed and at least 2,047
Ukrainian children have been wounded since the start of
President Vladimir Putin's invasion of Ukraine in February
2022.
(3) The Government of Ukraine estimates that the Russian
Federation has kidnapped, deported, or displaced at least
19,546 Ukrainian children to the Russian Federation, Russian-
occupied territories, and other locations since the invasion of
Ukraine in February 2022 and continues to practice such illegal
and inhumane actions.
(4) The Russian Federation has kidnapped, deported, or
displaced Ukrainian children as young as a few months to 17
years of age according to reliable reports.
(5) President Putin's regime seeks the ``Russification'' of
Ukrainian children through kidnapping, deportation, or
displacement to destroy their Ukrainian identity.
(6) Many of these Ukrainian children are forced into ``re-
education'' camps or youth paramilitary organizations in the
Russian Federation and other locations, with the intent of
training them for future deployment as service members in the
Russian Armed Forces.
(7) In November 2024, the United Kingdom stated that the
Government of the Russian Federation seeks to accomplish
``Russification'' by ``expos[ing] Ukrainian children to a
curriculum that rewrites Russian and Ukrainian history,
glorifies Russian military actions, promotes allegiance to
Russia, and in some cases involves military training''.
(8) Ukraine has made efforts to repatriate these kidnapped
and deported children, including during the peace talks that
occurred in Istanbul, Turkey in June 2025, where Ukraine
presented the Russian delegation with a list of 339 names of
kidnapped children to return home.
(9) In response to the proposal put forth by Ukraine in
Istanbul, Turkey, the Russian delegation, led by Vladimir
Medinsky, stated that these children were ``rescued'' by
Russian soldiers and dismissed the request.
(10) United States law authorizes the designation of
countries as state sponsors of terrorism if they have
repeatedly provided support for acts of international
terrorism.
(11) Section 2331(1) of title 18, United States Code,
defines international terrorism as activities that--
``(A) involve violent acts or acts dangerous to
human life that are a violation of the criminal laws of
the United States or of any State, or that would be a
criminal violation if committed within the jurisdiction
of the United States or of any State;
``(B) appear to be intended--
``(i) to intimidate or coerce a civilian
population;
``(ii) to influence the policy of a
government by intimidation or coercion; or
``(iii) to affect the conduct of a
government by mass destruction, assassination,
or kidnapping; and
``(C) occur primarily outside the territorial
jurisdiction of the United States, or transcend
national boundaries in terms of the means by which they
are accomplished, the persons they appear intended to
intimidate or coerce, or the locale in which their
perpetrators operate or seek asylum;''.
(12) At the direction of President Putin, the Government of
the Russian Federation has promoted, and continues to promote,
these acts of international terrorism, including the kidnapping
of Ukrainian children, which would constitute a criminal
violation if committed within the jurisdiction of the United
States.
(13) During the 117th Congress, the Senate unanimously
adopted--
(A) Senate Resolution 623, which called for the
Secretary of State to designate the Russian Federation
as a state sponsor of terrorism; and
(B) Senate Resolution 546, which condemned the
actions of the Russian Federation, President Putin,
members of the Russian Security Council, the Russian
Armed Forces, and Russian military commanders for
committing atrocities and alleged war crimes against
the people of Ukraine.
(14) The United States continues to have a range of tools
available to hold the Russian Federation accountable for these
egregious actions.
SEC. 3. DESIGNATION OF THE RUSSIAN FEDERATION AS A STATE SPONSOR OF
TERRORISM.
(a) Certification.--Not later than 60 days after the effective date
of this Act, the Secretary of State shall submit a report to Congress
that certifies whether--
(1) the Ukrainian children who were kidnapped, deported, or
forcibly removed from Ukrainian territory or temporarily
occupied Ukrainian territory since the Russian Federation's
invasion of Ukraine in February 2022 have been reunited with
their families or guardians in a secure environment; and
(2) the process of full reintegration of such children into
Ukrainian society is underway.
(b) Designation.--If the Secretary of State cannot certify the
actions described in paragraphs (1) and (2) of subsections (a) have
occurred, the Secretary shall immediately designate the Russian
Federation as a state sponsor of terrorism pursuant to--
(1) section 1754(c) of the National Defense Authorization
Act for Fiscal Year 2019 (50 U.S.C. 4813(c));
(2) section 40 of the Arms Export Control Act (22 U.S.C.
2780);
(3) section 620A of the Foreign Assistance Act of 1961 (22
U.S.C. 2371); and
(4) any other relevant provision of law.
SEC. 4. RESCISSION OF THE DESIGNATION OF THE RUSSIAN FEDERATION AS A
STATE SPONSOR OF TERRORISM.
The Secretary of State may rescind the designation required under
section 3(b) on or after the date that is 45 days after the date on
which the Secretary certifies to Congress, pursuant to the provision of
law under which such designation was made, that--
(1) the Government of the Russian Federation--
(A) has not provided support for international
terrorism during the preceding 3-month period; and
(B) has provided assurances that such government
will not support acts of international terrorism in the
future;
(2) all of the children kidnapped, deported, or forcibly
transferred from Ukrainian territory or temporarily occupied
Ukrainian territory since the Russian Federation's invasion of
Ukraine in February 2022 have been reunited with their families
and guardians in a secure environment; and
(3) the process of full reintegration of such children into
Ukrainian society is underway.
SEC. 5. EFFECTIVE DATE.
This Act shall take effect on the date that is 1 day after the date
of the enactment of this Act.
<all>
Introduced in Senate
Read twice and referred to the Committee on Foreign Relations.
Committee on Foreign Relations. Ordered to be reported with an amendment in the nature of a substitute favorably.
Committee on Foreign Relations. Reported by Senator Risch with an amendment in the nature of a substitute. Without written report.
Committee on Foreign Relations. Reported by Senator Risch with an amendment in the nature of a substitute. Without written report.
Placed on Senate Legislative Calendar under General Orders. Calendar No. 246.
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