OSCE Parliamentary Assembly recognizes Russia as state sponsor of terrorism

The OSCE Parliamentary Assembly recognized Russia as a state sponsor of terrorism and the private mercenary Wagner Group as a terrorist organization, according to Yevheniia Kravchuk, a member of the Ukrainian delegation to the assembly.

The Vancouver Declaration adopted by the assembly on July 4 says that Wagner Group's actions on behalf of the Russian government "can rightly be characterized as terroristic in nature and intent."

The declaration emphasizes Russian dictator Vladimir Putin publicly admitting that Wagner was fully financed by the state.

According to the document, OSCE member states should take measures against Wagner and its structures, including by designating it as a terrorist organization.

The assembly also called on the OSCE members "to reinforce international norms which clearly recognize the terroristic nature of the Wagner Group and its actions, the responsibility of the Russian Federation as the state sponsor of said terrorist organization, and the inadmissibility of employing such actors in inter-state relations."

"For the first time, such wording is established in an official document of an international organization! I hope this decision will become a catalyst for recognizing the aggressor state as a sponsor of terrorism in the U.S. (as a member of the OSCE) and the whole world," added Kravchuk.

The Russian state-backed mercenary Wagner Group played a key role in Moscow's military efforts in eastern Ukraine, especially in taking Donetsk Oblast's key city of Bakhmut in late May this year.

Wagner Group has been accused of torturing and executing civilians and POWs in Ukraine, Syria, and other countries. The U.S. has designated Wagner as a “significant transnational criminal organization” and imposed sanctions on its support network worldwide.