On Thursday, August 11, the Latvian Saeima declared Russia a "state sponsor of terrorism," citing attacks on civilians.

The statement of the Parliament contains a call to the EU countries to immediately halt the issue of tourist and entry visas for Russian and Belarusian citizens.

"The Saeima adopted a statement on Russia's targeted military attacks against civilians and public areas in Ukraine, recognizing Russia's violence against civilians as terrorism and Russia as a state sponsor of terrorism," Latvia's Parliament published its statement on Thursday.

"Russia has been providing support and financing for terrorist regimes and organizations for many years, directly and indirectly, as the largest arms supplier for the Assad regime in Syria and as an implementer, such as the poisoning of the Skripal family or the shooting of the MH-17 aircraft.

In Ukraine, Russia has chosen a similar, cruel, immoral, and illegal tactic, using imprecise and internationally banned weapons and ammunition, targeting disproportionate brutality against civilians and public places. In order to achieve the objectives of its illegal, aggressive war, Russia aims to intimidate and demoralize the Ukrainian people and armed forces, to paralyze the state's capacity - to occupy Ukraine, that is, Russia implements this violence for political purposes," said Rihards Kols, Chair of the Saeima Foreign Affairs Commission.

In the statement, Latvian MPs note that since Russia's invasion in Ukraine on February 24, 2022, 12 million Ukrainians have been forced to leave their homes, and more than 5 million have been forced to leave their country.

Many reports by human rights organizations and international observer missions have documented atrocities committed by Russian forces against the Ukrainian civilian population, including torture, rape, murder, and mass detention of civilians in so-called filtration centers, as well as mass deportations.

As previously reported, the U.S. Senate is putting pressure on the Biden administration to designate Russia as a state sponsor of terrorism.

The U.S. Senate in late July unanimously approved a resolution calling Secretary of State Anthony Blinken to designate Russia a state sponsor of terrorism for its actions in Chechnya, Georgia, Syria, and Ukraine.

The U.S. State Department is responsible for designating countries as state sponsors of terrorism.

The Russian foreign ministry has threatened to break off diplomatic relations with the U.S. if such a decision is taken.