Appearing on the state television show Sunday Evening With Vladimir Solovyov a day later, Foreign Ministry spokeswoman Maria Zakharova railed against the possibility of such a designation, arguing that the plans were prompted by the US’s failure to isolate Russia from the rest of the world. Zakharova mocked the level of competence of US officials, questioning whether they even know how to read, after Moscow has repeatedly warned Washington of “consequences” if the US labels Russia a sponsor of terror. The bipartisan resolution to designate Russia as a state sponsor of terrorism passed the Senate in late July after being introduced by Senators Lindsey Graham (R-SC) and Richard Blumenthal (D-CT). In the House of Representatives, Speaker Nancy Pelosi reportedly warned Secretary of State Anthony Blinken that if he did not move forward with the designation, Congress would pass appropriate legislation on its own. Last week, Latvia’s parliament declared Russia a “state sponsor of terrorism” for attacks on civilians during the war in Ukraine, urging other countries to follow suit. Rihards Kols, who chairs the parliament’s foreign affairs committee, argued: “Russia has for many years supported and financed terrorist regimes and organizations in various ways, directly and indirectly.” To illustrate this point, Kols cited Russia’s involvement in Syria, the downing of Flight MH-17 over eastern Ukraine in 2014, and the 2018 poisoning of Sergei Skripal in the United Kingdom. Lithuania passed a similar resolution in May, and Estonia may soon do so as well. The prospect of this initiative gaining global traction horrified prominent figures speaking on Russian state television. The measure would add Russia to the list of such pariah states as North Korea, Iran, Syria and Cuba, allowing world governments to expand their list of measures and sanctions to put further pressure on the Putin regime, including banning defense exports and additional economic restrictions. Prominent pundits and pundits on Russian state television said the possible designation worries Moscow more, not because of the damage left to Russia’s reputation, but for legal and economic reasons. Two weeks ago, Andrei Sidorov, associate dean of global politics at Moscow State University, explained why Moscow is so apathetic about being labeled a sponsor of terrorism: “As for declaring Russia a sponsor of terrorism, it will probably approve this legislation. Arguably, all the sanctions they can impose against us are already in place. That’s not the scary part. What will hurt is that families affected by the country sponsoring terrorism have the right to file claims in US courts. Masses of Ukrainian citizens will be able to file lawsuits. Where will the resources to pay off these claims come from?’ Referring to the $300 billion of Russia’s $640 billion in gold and foreign exchange reserves that have been frozen by Western sanctions, host Vladimir Solovyov said: “They’re looking for a way to grab our $300 billion.” Sidorov agreed: “They will get this $300 billion according to court orders.” Russian experts openly tout the idea of seizing Ukraine’s vast mineral and energy resources, which they predict will boost Russia’s failing economy. In addition to stealing Ukraine’s wealth, pro-Putin propagandists openly hoped to get back their seized funds and assets – even threatening nuclear strikes to secure their release. The prospect of those billions being lost for good is infinitely more troubling than any label so richly deserved by Putin’s regime. “Russia has nothing to hope for.” Solovyov, who was twice honored by President Vladimir Putin for his services to the Fatherland, proposed a solution: forcefully convert all Ukrainians into Russian citizens after the entire Ukraine is occupied. While Russia’s genocidal aims towards the neighboring country have been obvious from the beginning, Moscow’s mouthpieces are now trying to blame the West for Ukraine’s destruction. Speaking about the Ukrainian victims of Russian aggression, Solovyov said: “These families should not have the opportunity to file lawsuits in court. They should become Russian citizens and the nation of Ukraine should disappear completely.” Earlier in August, appearing on the state television show 60 Minutes, military expert Igor Korotchenko admitted that Russia wants to wipe Ukraine off the map because it “never really existed in the first place,” is seen as “anti-Russian” and therefore not has a right to exist. Regardless of the final outcome of Russia’s war against Ukraine, Moscow’s prospects as a world power are bleak. Appearing on the Solovyov Live program on Monday, Yevgeny Satanovsky, president of the Middle East Institute, noted with sad resignation: “As far as the West as a whole is concerned, particularly America, Europe or international organizations, Russia is not there is nothing to hope for.”
