US Senators urge recongition of Wagner PMC as terrorist organisation

US Senators Ben Cardin and Roger Wicker announced on February 15 that they have reintroduced the Holding Accountable Russian Mercenaries (HARM) Act, bipartisan legislation that would require the Secretary of State to designate the Russian-based Wagner Group as a foreign terrorist organization (FTO).

Wicker and Cardin were joined by US Senators Lindsey Graham,  Jeanne Shaheen, Thom Tillis, Richard Blumenthal, Marco Rubio, and Sheldon Whitehouse, according to the Senate's statement.

“Putin’s unprovoked and illegal war against Ukraine has been made more deadly because of the Wagner Group. These mercenaries have been credibly linked to countless atrocities in Ukraine as well as Syria and across the African continent,” said Senator Cardin, Co-Chair of the US Helsinki Commission.

“The US must step up and immediately designate the Wagner Group as the terrorists they are. It is the best way to hold them and Russia accountable for their human rights violations. We must do all we can to diminish the strength of Putin’s invading forces.”