WASHINGTON – U.S. Senator Lindsey Graham (R-South Carolina) today made the following statement after the U.S. Senate Committee on Foreign Relations unanimously voted to advance legislation he led, the Designating the Russian Federation as a State Sponsor of Terrorism Act (S. 2978).

In September, Graham along with Senators Richard Blumenthal (D-Connecticut), Katie Britt (R-Alabama) and Amy Klobuchar (D-Minnesota) introduced this bill to designate Russia as a state sponsor of terrorism under U.S. law if they fail to return the more than 19,000 Ukrainian children that have been kidnapped during the course of the war. Senators Graham and Blumenthal first proposed the need for legislation in May of this year.

The goal of the Designating the Russian Federation as a State Sponsor of Terrorism Act is to exert maximum pressure on Russia in order to achieve peace and secure the safe return of these children.

“I am very pleased that the Senate Foreign Relations Committee unanimously reported out my bill with Senators Blumenthal, Britt and Klobuchar to designate Russia as a state sponsor of terrorism under U.S. law if they do not return the almost 20,000 Ukrainian children they kidnapped from occupied areas. These kidnappings by Putin’s Russia represent one of the most outrageous events since World War II.

“I am very grateful to Chairman Risch, Ranking Member Shaheen and all of my colleagues on the Senate Foreign Relations Committee for getting this legislation out of committee and sending it to the floor. I also appreciate Chairman Risch’s inclusion of provisions that require Russia, in addition to returning all the kidnapped children, to cease its attacks on civilian infrastructure and assassination attempts against political targets in order to have the state sponsor of terrorism designation removed.

“Making Russia a state sponsor of terrorism would be devastating to Russia’s economy. It is a necessary consequence of Putin’s behavior if these kidnapped children are not returned home.”

Background on the Designating the Russian Federation as a State Sponsor of Terrorism Act (S. 2978):

• Ukraine estimates that Russia has kidnapped, deported or displaced at least 19,546 Ukrainian children since February 2022 and is continuing to practice these illegal and inhumane actions. The age of the children ranges from as young as a few months old to 17 years old.
• Putin’s Russia seeks to destroy children’s Ukrainian identity. According to the United Kingdom, Russia has subjected the children to a curriculum that glorifies Russian military action, promotes allegiance to Russia and in some cases, involves military training.
• Ukraine also estimates that at least 648 Ukrainian children have been killed and at least 2,047 Ukrainian children have been wounded since the start of the war in February 2022.
• These actions are blatant examples of international terrorism at the direction of Vladimir Putin.
• Sixty days after the passage of this bill, the legislation would require the Secretary of State to submit a report to Congress certifying that the kidnapped, deported or displaced children have been safely reunited with families or guardians, their full reintegration into Ukrainian society is underway, and Russia has ceased its attacks on civilian infrastructure and assassination attempts against political targets.
• If the Secretary of State is unable to certify all of the above, then the Secretary shall designate Russia as a state sponsor of terrorism under U.S. law.
• Currently, there are only four state sponsors of terrorism under U.S. law: Cuba, North Korea, Iran and Syria.

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