The United States has officially designated the governments of Syria, Iran, North Korea and Cuba as state sponsors of international terrorism. On Tuesday, Ukraine’s defense minister said Russia’s actions on the battlefield following their invasion almost five months ago justify adding the Kremlin to the list.
Defense Minister Oleksii Reznikov told an Atlantic Council briefing that Russia has been openly committing acts of terror that have resulted in the deaths of thousands of Ukrainian citizens, including the deliberate targeting of schools and hospitals, as its forces battle Ukrainian troops in the country’s south and east. The minister said the attacks on non-military targets amount to a deliberate plan to use terror as a weapon in the war.