Sponsors (12)
Official title: To require the Secretary of State and the Secretary of Defense to jointly submit a report on efforts by the Government of the Russian Federation to persecute, suppress, discriminate, or otherwise violate the religious freedoms of Ukraine and temporarily occupied territories of Ukraine, to require the President to impose all applicable sanctions with respect to foreign persons certified to have engaged in such efforts, and for other purposes.
Introduced April 22, 2026 by Joe Wilson · Last progress April 22, 2026
The bill improves documentation, transparency, and tools (including rapid sanctions) to hold perpetrators of religious persecution accountable and to prioritize aid, but it increases risks of diplomatic and economic retaliation, potential wrongful listings that complicate reconciliation, and added administrative burdens without dedicated resources.
Victims and incidents of religious persecution in Russian-occupied Ukrainian territories are formally documented and recognized, improving prospects for advocacy, humanitarian relief, and legal accountability for affected communities.
Creates a stronger factual basis and authority for U.S. diplomatic pressure and for imposing targeted sanctions quickly after certification, increasing deterrence against perpetrators.
Calls attention to destruction of religious and community infrastructure, helping prioritize reconstruction, humanitarian aid, and relief efforts for affected communities.
Sanctions and formal findings could escalate diplomatic tensions with Russia and provoke retaliation that affects trade, energy prices, and broader economic stability for U.S. consumers and businesses.
Designation and sanctions processes risk including individuals or institutions with limited involvement, imposing economic harms before full due process and potentially complicating post-conflict reconciliation within religious communities.
Preparing annual reports, maintaining lists, and administrating sanctions will create additional workload and costs for State, Defense, and intelligence agencies and may raise political expectations for actions not accompanied by specified resources.
Based on analysis of 3 sections of legislative text.
Requires U.S. agencies to report on Russia’s persecution of religious groups in occupied Ukrainian territories and mandates sanctions when the President certifies reasonable grounds.
Requires the State and Defense Secretaries, working with the DNI, to produce an initial report within 120 days and annual reports for three years documenting Russia’s campaign of religious persecution in Russian-occupied areas of Ukraine. The reports must identify abuses, sites and facilities affected, numbers and categories of victims, and individuals or entities responsible; the President must then certify within 30 days whether there are reasonable grounds that listed persons engaged in the conduct, and an affirmative certification triggers specified sanctions with a path for waiver or termination if conduct ceases.