Polish Senate recognizes Russia as ‘terrorist state’

The Polish Senate on Wednesday unanimously voted on a resolution recognizing Russia as a ‘terrorist regime’ over its deadly war in Ukraine. 

The resolution – which passed with 85 votes – said the governing body “strongly condemns Russian aggression” and called on “all countries that support peace, democracy and human rights to recognize the authorities of the Russian Federation as a terrorist regime.”

Polish lawmakers outlined accounts of torture, forced deportations, murder of civilians and intentional strikes on civilian locations to back their calls to characterize Russia as a state sponsor of terrorism.  

GRAHAM, BLUMENTHAL CALL FOR RUSSIA TO JOIN LIST OF STATE SPONSORS OF TERRORISM, SAY CRIMES ARE ‘GENOCIDE’

“We know all these acts of state terrorism well from the history books,” a statement accompanying the resolution said. “Europeans believed that they would never again be threatened with genocide and war crimes. Meanwhile, Vladimir Putin and his apparatus of violence returned to the cruel practices of the Stalinist and Nazi regimes.”

Polish lawmakers said that Moscow’s war ambitions in Ukraine “must be defeated” and Russia “deprived of the possibility of endangering its neighbors.”

Lawmakers in Poland are not alone in their push to recognize Russia as a terrorist state. Senators Lindsey Graham, R-S.C., and Richard Blumenthal, D-Conn., introduced legislation last month calling on the U.S. Congress to do the same.

WARNING GRAPHIC IMAGE

 BIDEN UNSURE IF RUSSIA FITS ‘STATE SPONSOR OF TERRORISM’ DESIGNATION AMID UKRAINE WAR: JAKE SULLIVAN

Additionally, the Senate unanimously passed a resolution in July that called on the administration to add Russia to the U.S.’s terrorist blacklist.

A similar bill was introduced in the House in July, though neither chamber has advanced the legislation. 

Lawmakers argue that legally designating Russia would enable the U.S. to more effectively cut Moscow off financially, hold them accountable in U.S. courts and waive Russia’s sovereign immunity.

Blumenthal also argued the U.S. has a “moral authority” to hold Russia accountable for war crimes.

The Estonian Parliament last week also recognized Russia as “a terrorist regime,” following in the steps of Latvia and Lithuania.

President Biden has already said he does not support designating Russia as a state sponsor of terrorism.

“It is not the most effective or strongest path forward, as we have said many times before, to hold Russia accountable,” White House press secretary Karine Jean-Pierre argued earlier this month.