The call by Andriy Yermak, the second most powerful Ukrainian government official after President Volodymyr Zelenskiy, came after Ukraine accused Russia of sabotaging the Nord Stream pipelines, an accusation that adds to its claim that Russia has shown all the hallmarks of a terrorist state. US and international law. Such a designation, which the US government has so far resisted, would allow secondary sanctions to be imposed on any entity or individual that does business with or supports Russian government entities, including state-owned banks. It would also allow US citizens and employees to sue Russia for monetary or material damages for bodily injury or death caused by Russian state terrorism. Russians seeking to enter the US will face increased restrictions. Yermak praised the existing sanctions but said the impact was not decisive, adding: “It is often said that money is like water: it always finds a way to flow. To combat this, the West must double down on existing sanctions.” He spoke after a report by an international sanctions task force advising the Ukrainian government concluded that Russia had met the legal definition of a “terrorist state” under US and Canadian law. Such a designation has only ever been given to North Korea, Syria, Iran and Cuba and would likely result in Russia’s complete expulsion from the financial system and raise new questions about its status as a member of the UN Security Council . The report, written by leading lawyers, economists and diplomats and published on Thursday, said: “The essence of terrorism can be summed up as ‘premeditated, politically motivated violence committed against non-combatant targets.’ He said the horrific events in Ukraine “were not isolated cases [involving] rogue elements of the Russian armed forces” but were “planned and carried out with the specific intent to terrorize the Ukrainian population”. Since the Russian state was the main perpetrator, it went beyond being a sponsor of terrorism, the report said. Cases reported as potentially terrorism include events in the Ukrainian city of Bucha, where international experts found evidence of rape, torture, sea violence and sexual violence, the firing of Russian missiles at a shopping center in Kremenchuk, killing at least 20 people and injuring dozens more and during the siege of Mariupol, when the Russian offensive killed up to 22,000 civilians and destroyed 95% of the city. It said at least 131,300 civilian homes, 188,100 vehicles, 934 educational facilities and 2,472 health care facilities have been damaged. The report was prepared by a sanctions committee, including Michael McFaul, former US ambassador to Russia, and commissioned by Yermak. The authors admit that there is a risk that such an extreme measure could prove counterproductive, for example by scrapping the fragile agreement to export Ukrainian grain through the Black Sea. But they say mitigation measures are available, including a statement by the US government that its citizens could not sue Russia individually, thereby eating into Russian state assets located abroad. The report stated that “the time of incremental orientation is over.” He said: “By its actions in its war against Ukraine, the Russian Federation has met or exceeded any reasonable legal or policy threshold for designation as a state sponsor of terrorism relative to other nations and entities that currently hold the designation . “War crimes versus acts of terrorism are distinctions without a difference. The type, extent and purpose of the premeditated, politically motivated violence deployed by the Russian state against Ukrainian non-combatants is staggering. It demands an answer.”
title: “Ukraine Calls For Russia To Be Declared A Terrorist State After Damning Report Ukraine " ShowToc: true date: “2022-12-14” author: “Emma Eggleston”
The call by Andriy Yermak, the second most powerful Ukrainian government official after President Volodymyr Zelenskiy, came after Ukraine accused Russia of sabotaging the Nord Stream pipelines, an accusation that adds to its claim that Russia has shown all the hallmarks of a terrorist state. US and international law. Such a designation, which the US government has so far resisted, would allow secondary sanctions to be imposed on any entity or individual that does business with or supports Russian government entities, including state-owned banks. It would also allow US citizens and employees to sue Russia for monetary or material damages for bodily injury or death caused by Russian state terrorism. Russians seeking to enter the US will face increased restrictions. Yermak praised the existing sanctions but said the impact was not decisive, adding: “It is often said that money is like water: it always finds a way to flow. To combat this, the West must double down on existing sanctions.” He spoke after an international sanctions task force report advising the Ukrainian government that Russia had reached the legal definition of a “terrorist state” under US and Canadian law. Such a designation has only been handed down to North Korea, Syria, Iran and Cuba and would likely result in Russia’s complete expulsion from the financial system and raise new questions about its status as a member of the UN Security Council . The report, written by leading lawyers, economists and diplomats and published on Thursday, said: “The essence of terrorism can be summed up as ‘premeditated, politically motivated violence committed against non-combatant targets.’ He said the horrific events in Ukraine “were not isolated cases [involving] rogue elements of the Russian armed forces” but “planned and conducted with the specific intent to terrorize the Ukrainian population”. Since the Russian state was the main perpetrator, it went beyond being a sponsor of terrorism, the report said. Cases reported as potentially terrorism include events in the Ukrainian city of Bucha, where international experts found evidence of rape, torture, sea violence and sexual violence, the firing of Russian missiles at a shopping center in Kremenchuk, killing at least 20 people and injuring dozens more and during the siege of Mariupol, when the Russian offensive killed up to 22,000 civilians and destroyed 95% of the city. It said at least 131,300 civilian homes, 188,100 vehicles, 934 educational facilities and 2,472 health care facilities have been damaged. The report was prepared by a sanctions committee, including Michael McFaul, former US ambassador to Russia, and commissioned by Yermak. The authors admit that there is a risk that such an extreme measure could prove counterproductive, for example by scrapping the fragile agreement to export Ukrainian grain through the Black Sea. But they say mitigation measures are available, including a statement by the US government that its citizens could not sue Russia individually, thereby eating into Russian state assets located abroad. The report stated that “the time of incremental orientation is over.” He said: “Through its actions in the war against Ukraine, the Russian Federation has met or exceeded any reasonable legal or policy threshold for designation as a state sponsor of terrorism relative to other nations and entities that currently hold the designation. “War crimes versus acts of terrorism are distinctions without a difference. The type, extent and purpose of the premeditated, politically motivated violence deployed by the Russian state against Ukrainian non-combatants is staggering. It demands an answer.”
