The European Parliament has declared Russia a “state sponsor of terrorism” over the “brutal and inhumane” atrocities committed in Ukraine.
“The deliberate attacks and atrocities carried out by the Russian Federation against the civilian population of Ukraine, the destruction of civilian infrastructure and other serious violations of human rights and international humanitarian law amount to acts of terror against the Ukrainian population and constitute war crimes,” MEPs said in a non-binding resolution.
“In the light of the above, [the European Parliament] recognises Russia as a state sponsor of terrorism and as a state which uses means of terrorism.”
The resolution was approved on Wednesday afternoon with 494 votes in favour, 58 against and 44 abstentions.
The text merged three different resolutions filed by the European People’s Party, Renew Europe and the European Conservatives and Reformists group (ECR).
Lithuanian MEP Andrius Kubilius, member of the EPP, contributed to the resolution. Last week, he Kubilius told the news agency Elta that the resolution would include many facts about Russia’s actions that meet the definition of terrorism.
“The crimes of the Russian army, of the Wagner group, which fully meet the definitions of terrorism, crimes against the peaceful population, the facts about torture, the complete destruction of Mariupol, the killings, the rapes, and, last but not least, the firing of rockets at the civilian infrastructure of cities. One could go on and on,” Kubilius said.
As a result of all these atrocities, the European Parliament in its resolution calls on EU member states to develop a new legal framework that would allow designating entire countries as sponsors of terrorism.
The EU’s current terror list, which was set up in the aftermath of the September 11, 2001, attacks, only allows blacklisting individuals and organisations.
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