A bipartisan coalition of U.S. House lawmakers has introduced legislation that would order the State Department to add Russian mercenary groups to its list of Foreign Terrorist Organizations (FTOs), RFE/RL reported.

The designation would require U.S. financial institutions to block and report any funds linked to the militant groups and would outlaw the provision of “material support” to the mercenary organizations and their members, among other steps. The bill is intended to target Russian militants that have rebranded themselves following the dismantling of the Wagner Group, the news agency said. 

Dubbed the “Holding Accountable Russian Mercenaries Act 2.0,” or HARM Act 2.0, the proposed measure reflects congressional concerns that Russian private military contractors have learned to evade Western sanctions by splintering into numerous smaller groups operating under various names, including Africa Corps and Redut PMC, RFE/RL said.

The rebranding has allowed Russian militants to redistribute and reassign their assets while remaining operational in the aftermath of the Wagner Group’s unraveling and the death of its leader Yevgeny Prigozhin in 2023, according to the report. 

The newly named organizations have continued to expand their global footprint in recent years, the news outlet said. Last year, Ukrainian intelligence officials claimed that over 120 Russian personnel were training militants in Venezuela on infantry tactics, drone warfare, and special-forces operations. 

The proposed legislation would also mandate enhanced annual reporting on Russian mercenary financing, resource-extraction operations, and deployments in strategically sensitive regions such as Venezuela, RFE/RL said.

Read more at RFE/RL

Read the bill here