US Lawmakers Target Russian Mercenary Groups As Terrorist Organizations

WASHINGTON -- A bipartisan coalition of US lawmakers is seeking to tighten the legal and financial vise on Russia's global mercenary network, introducing legislation on February 10 that would designate the Kremlin's rebranded proxy forces as Foreign Terrorist Organizations (FTOs).

The measure marks a significant escalation in Washington's effort to expand sanctions authority against Kremlin-affiliated private mercenary organizations, including ones that have formed since the demise of the notorious Wagner group.

Led by Republican Congressman Joe Wilson of South Carolina, the group in the House of Representatives includes Republicans Pat Fallon (Texas), Maria Salazar (Florida), Mike Lawler (New York), and Zach Nunn (Iowa), along with Democrats Steve Cohen (Tennessee) and Jimmy Panetta (California).

Together, they unveiled the Holding Accountable Russian Mercenaries Act 2.0, or HARM Act 2.0.

SEE ALSO: The Death Of Prigozhin: Five Questions On What Comes Next

"Russia's paramilitaries sow chaos wherever they go and present a major challenge to US national security," Wilson told RFE/RL on February 10. "We must ensure that they are properly designated and defeated -- this bill gives President Trump the means to do that."

Closing The 'Rebrand' Loophole

The legislative push comes amid mounting concern that Russian private military contractors are not only surviving international sanctions but expanding their global footprint. Lawmakers pointed to activity in the Western Hemisphere as especially troubling.

Last fall, Ukrainian intelligence claimed that more than 120 Russian personnel were operating in Venezuela, training militants in infantry tactics, special forces operations, and drone warfare. In previous years, there have also been media reports of Wagner mercenaries in the country.

These claims and reports could not be confirmed by RFE/RL.

At the heart of HARM Act 2.0 is an effort to address what its sponsors see as a structural weakness in existing law, which designated Wagner a terrorist organization. But the legal landscape shifted dramatically after the 2023 death of Wagner chief Yevgeny Prigozhin.

Yevgeny Prigozhin: From 'Putin's Chef' To Malcontent Mercenary

In the aftermath of Prigozhin's death, which followed a failed mutiny against the Kremlin by his forces, Wagner was reorganized under the direct oversight of Russia's Defense Ministry.

The once-unified mercenary force fractured into successor entities, including the Africa Corps and Redut PMC.

Lawmakers contend that this restructuring allowed Moscow to evade sanctions and terrorism designations by renaming, redistributing, and reassigning its assets while preserving operational continuity.

The new bill would require the State Department to designate these successor organizations as FTOs and mandates regular reviews to prevent future iterations from slipping through legal cracks.

The legislation also calls for enhanced annual reporting on Russian mercenary financing, resource extraction operations, and deployments in strategically sensitive regions such as Venezuela.

Confronting '21st-Century Proxy Terrorism'

Experts say the bill reflects growing recognition that Russia's use of private military companies is not an aberration but a durable feature of its foreign policy toolkit.

Glen Howard, president of the Saratoga Foundation and a longtime Russia strategist, described the proposed designations as a necessary response to what he called a modernized form of indirect warfare.

"Wagner is a perfect example of 21st-century proxy terrorism, where states outsource coercive violence to deniable quasi-state actors while retaining strategic control over their operations," Howard told RFE/RL.

SEE ALSO: Wagner's Successors Wage Campaign Of Terror In Central African Republic

In countries such as Mali and the Central African Republic, Wagner-linked forces have embedded themselves within ruling structures, providing security services in exchange for access to mineral resources.

Such arrangements, Howard noted, allow Moscow to finance influence operations and secure strategic commodities while shielding the Russian state from formal accountability.

An FTO designation, he argued, would be a "decisive step" toward disrupting those financial and logistical networks. By targeting the revenue streams that sustain these arrangements, the United States could complicate Moscow's ability to convert security assistance into geopolitical leverage.

Supporters of the bill also argue that limiting Moscow's access to resource deals in Africa and elsewhere could have downstream implications for global supply chains, including access to rare earth minerals vital to advanced technologies.

The aim, as Wilson has framed it, is to ensure Washington is no longer reacting to Moscow's maneuvers, but preempting them -- moving decisively to blunt, and ultimately constrain, the Kremlin's global reach.