Promote Ukraine and Other Organisations Calls on Members of European Parliament to Recognise Russia as State Sponsor of Terrorism

Dear Member of the European Parliament,

In view of the upcoming plenary session of the Parliament on 21-24 November, Ukrainian and EU civil society calls on you to support the vote for a Resolution acknowledging Russia as a state sponsor of terrorism and the PMC Wagner as an organisation involved in terrorist acts.

We are convinced that the leading position that the European Parliament has taken during the last nine months of the Russian invasion will be reinforced by a resolution that declares Russia as a perpetrator of terroristic acts. Also, we are confident that the resolution on this topic will be supported by a vast majority of MEPs, given the nature and scope of this request. Since the beginning of Russia’s armed aggression against Ukraine in February 2014 and especially starting from the full-scale military invasion in February 2022, the Russian Federation has been using terror tactics against the civilian population, including the indiscriminate shelling of cities and towns, the use of banned ammunition, mass summary executions, arbitrary detentions, sexual violence, abductions, forced deportation and torture, attacks against civilians trying to flee conflict areas via pre-agreed humanitarian corridors, and targeting of residential areas and civilian infrastructures, such as energy facilities, hospitals, schools, shelters, and ambulances. Russia`s deliberate missile and drone attacks destroyed 40% of critical energy infrastructure across Ukraine, cutting civilians from access to water, electricity and heating.

Some of the key executors of terrorist attacks against the civilian population initiated by the Russian state are private military networks of mercenaries, the key among which is the Wagner Group. The acts of terror committed by the Wagner Group were documented in Ukraine, as well as in Syria, Sudan, Libya, the Central African Republic and Mali. There is clear evidence of Wagner Group’s ties with the Russian highest authorities, including president Putin, as well as facts that Wagner relies on the military infrastructure of the Russian Armed forces.

Therefore we call on the Members of the European Parliament to recognise Russia as a state sponsor of terrorism and the PMC Wagner as an organisation involved in terrorist acts and to take all appropriate measures to prevent further terrorist attacks by Russia against Ukraine and other countries. Adopting the above mentioned resolution would be an important step toward diplomatic support of Ukraine and its citizens and the restoration of justice. Furthermore, this status should entail legal, economic and diplomatic consequences for Russia. Assigning Russia a status of a state sponsor of terrorism would have a crucial role in strengthening sanctions, the economic, financial and diplomatic isolation of Russia, and the subsequent incapacity of Russia to finance the brutal war against Ukraine. Last, but not the least, such a declaration would be a strong signal in public communication, discouraging any public, political and economic support of the terrorist state by other states, organisations and businesses trading with Russia or assisting it in sanction evasion schemes.

Your support matters a lot to us, and we are thankful for everything you have already done for the Ukrainian and European future. Ukrainian civil society counts on your dedication to restoring peace and justice in Ukraine and all over Europe.

Kind regards,

Ukrainian civil society (see the list of organizations below)

and Ukrainian trainees at the EP

Promote Ukraine

Institute of Innovative Governance

European Digital Development Alliance

Promote Freedom Foundation

Professional Government Association of Ukraine

Harvard Club of Ukraine

Nordic Ukraine Forum

VoxUkraine

Ukrainian Security and Cooperation Center

Economic Security Council of Ukraine

Stand with Ukraine Gothenburg

Ukrainska sällskapet i Göteborg (Ukrainian Association in Gothenburg)

Stichting Ukrainian Victims of War

Ukrainska Föreningen Östergötland (Ukrainian Association in Östergötland)

Association of Ukrainians in Denmark

Ukrajinská iniciativa jižní Moravy /Українська ініціатива південної Моравії

UA Brokers Without Borders