II 

117TH CONGRESS 

1ST SESSION S. 208 

To impose sanctions with respect to individuals associated with the Government of the Russian Federation who are complicit in the poisoning 

and repression of citizens of the Russian Federation for political motives, 

and for other purposes. 

IN THE SENATE OF THE UNITED STATES 

FEBRUARY 3, 2021 

Mr. COONS (for himself, Mr. RUBIO, Mr. CARDIN, Mr. ROMNEY, Mr. VAN

HOLLEN, and Mr. DURBIN) introduced the following bill; which was read 

twice and referred to the Committee on Foreign Relations 

A BILL 

To impose sanctions with respect to individuals associated 

with the Government of the Russian Federation who 

are complicit in the poisoning and repression of citizens 

of the Russian Federation for political motives, and for 

other purposes. 

1 Be it enacted by the Senate and House of Representa2 tives of the United States of America in Congress assembled, 

3 SECTION 1. SHORT TITLE. 

4 This Act may be cited as the ‘‘Holding Russia Ac5 countable for Malign Activities Act of 2021’’. 


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1 SEC. 2. IMPOSITION OF SANCTIONS WITH RESPECT TO THE 

2 POISONING OF OPPOSITION LEADER ALEXEI 

3 NAVALNY. 

4 (a) IDENTIFICATION.—Not later than 90 days after 

5 the date of the enactment of this Act, the President shall 

6 submit to Congress a report identifying any current or 

7 former official of, or other individual acting for or on be8 half of, the Government of the Russian Federation that 

9 the President determines was involved in the poisoning on 

10 August 20, 2020, of Russian opposition leader Alexei 

11 Navalny or the subsequent cover-up of the poisoning. 

12 (b) IMPOSITION OF SANCTIONS.—With respect to 

13 each official or other individual identified in the report re14 quired by subsection (a), the President shall impose sanc15 tions under the Global Magnitsky Human Rights Account16 ability Act (subtitle F of title XII of Public Law 114– 

17 328; 22 U.S.C. 2656 note) or the following sanctions: 

18 (1) ASSET BLOCKING.—The President shall ex19 ercise all of the powers granted to the President 

20 under the International Emergency Economic Pow21 ers Act (50 U.S.C. 1701 et seq.) to the extent nec22 essary to block and prohibit all transactions in prop23 erty and interests in property of the official or other 

24 individual identified in the report required by sub25 section (a) if such property and interests in property 

26 are in the United States, come within the United 


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1 States, or are or come within the possession or con2 trol of a United States person. 

3 (2) INELIGIBILITY FOR VISAS, ADMISSION, OR

4 PAROLE.— 

5 (A) VISAS, ADMISSION, OR PAROLE.—An 

6 alien identified in the report required by sub7 section (a) is— 

8 (i) inadmissible to the United States; 

9 (ii) ineligible to receive a visa or other 

10 documentation to enter the United States; 

11 and 

12 (iii) otherwise ineligible to be admitted 

13 or paroled into the United States or to re14 ceive any other benefit under the Immigra15 tion and Nationality Act (8 U.S.C. 1101 et 

16 seq.). 

17 (B) CURRENT VISAS REVOKED.— 

18 (i) IN GENERAL.—An alien identified 

19 in the report required by subsection (a) is 

20 subject to revocation of any visa or other 

21 entry documentation regardless of when 

22 the visa or other entry documentation is or 

23 was issued. 

24 (ii) IMMEDIATE EFFECT.—A revoca25 tion under clause (i) shall— 


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1 (I) take effect immediately; and 

2 (II) cancel any other valid visa or 

3 entry documentation that is in the 

4 alien’s possession. 

5 (c) WAIVER; EXCEPTIONS; IMPLEMENTATION OF

6 SANCTIONS.— 

7 (1) IMPLEMENTATION; PENALTIES.— 

8 (A) IMPLEMENTATION.—The President 

9 may exercise all authorities provided under sec10 tions 203 and 205 of the International Emer11 gency Economic Powers Act (50 U.S.C. 1702 

12 and 1704) to the extent necessary to carry out 

13 this section. 

14 (B) PENALTIES.—A person that violates, 

15 attempts to violate, conspires to violate, or 

16 causes a violation of subsection (b)(1), or any 

17 regulation, license, or order issued to carry out 

18 that subsection, shall be subject to the penalties 

19 set forth in subsections (b) and (c) of section 

20 206 of the International Emergency Economic 

21 Powers Act (50 U.S.C. 1705) to the same ex22 tent as a person that commits an unlawful act 

23 described in subsection (a) of that section. 

24 (2) NATIONAL SECURITY WAIVER.—The Presi25 dent may waive the application of sanctions under 


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1 this section with respect to a person if the President 

2 determines and certifies to Congress that such a 

3 waiver is in the national security interests of the 

4 United States. 

5 (3) EXCEPTIONS.— 

6 (A) EXCEPTION FOR INTELLIGENCE AC7 TIVITIES.—Sanctions under this section shall 

8 not apply to any activity subject to the report9 ing requirements under title V of the National 

10 Security Act of 1947 (50 U.S.C. 3091 et seq.) 

11 or any authorized intelligence activities of the 

12 United States. 

13 (B) EXCEPTION TO COMPLY WITH INTER14 NATIONAL OBLIGATIONS.—Sanctions under sub15 section (b)(2) shall not apply with respect to an 

16 alien if admitting or paroling the alien into the 

17 United States is necessary to permit the United 

18 States to comply with the Agreement regarding 

19 the Headquarters of the United Nations, signed 

20 at Lake Success June 26, 1947, and entered 

21 into force November 21, 1947, between the 

22 United Nations and the United States, or other 

23 applicable international obligations. 

24 (C) EXCEPTION RELATING TO THE IMPOR25 TATION OF GOODS.— 


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1 (i) IN GENERAL.—The authorities and 

2 requirements to impose sanctions author3 ized under this section shall not include 

4 the authority or a requirement to impose 

5 sanctions on the importation of goods. 

6 (ii) GOOD DEFINED.—In this subpara7 graph, the term ‘‘good’’ means any article, 

8 natural or manmade substance, material, 

9 supply, or manufactured product, including 

10 inspection and test equipment, and exclud11 ing technical data. 

12 (d) DEFINITIONS.—In this section: 

13 (1) ADMISSION; ADMITTED; ALIEN.—The terms 

14 ‘‘admission’’, ‘‘admitted’’, and ‘‘alien’’ have the 

15 meanings given those terms in section 101 of the 

16 Immigration and Nationality Act (8 U.S.C. 1101). 

17 (2) UNITED STATES PERSON.—The term 

18 ‘‘United States person’’ means— 

19 (A) an individual who is a United States 

20 citizen or an alien lawfully admitted for perma21 nent residence to the United States; 

22 (B) an entity organized under the laws of 

23 the United States or any jurisdiction within the 

24 United States, including a foreign branch of 

25 such an entity; or 


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1 (C) any person in the United States. 

2 SEC. 3. REPORT ON THE ASSASSINATION OF BORIS 

3 NEMTSOV. 

4 Not later than 180 days after the date of the enact5 ment of this Act, the Secretary of State, in coordination 

6 with the Director of National Intelligence, shall submit to 

7 Congress a report detailing the circumstances of the assas8 sination on February 27, 2015, of Russian opposition 

9 leader Boris Nemtsov, including— 

10 (1) a list of the individuals the Secretary deter11 mines to have been involved in the assassination as 

12 perpetrators or as having organized or directed the 

13 assassination; 

14 (2) a description of what measures, if any, have 

15 been taken by the Government of the Russian Fed16 eration to investigate the assassination and bring the 

17 individuals described in paragraph (1) to justice; 

18 and 

19 (3) an assessment of the effectiveness of those 

20 measures. 

21 SEC. 4. REPORT ON PERSONAL WEALTH OF VLADIMIR 

22 PUTIN AND HIS FAMILY MEMBERS. 

23 (a) IN GENERAL.—Not later than 180 days after the 

24 date of the enactment of this Act, the President shall sub25 mit to Congress a report on the sources and extent of the 


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1 personal wealth of the President of the Russian Federa2 tion, Vladimir Putin, and his family members. 

3 (b) PERSONAL WEALTH.—The report required by 

4 subsection (a) shall include an assessment of the assets, 

5 investments, bank accounts, other business interests, and 

6 relevant beneficial ownership information of Vladimir 

7 Putin and his family members. 

8 (c) FORM.—The report required by subsection (a) 

9 shall be submitted in unclassified form but may include 

10 a classified annex. 

11 SEC. 5. DIPLOMATIC ENGAGEMENT WITH GERMANY WITH 

12 RESPECT TO SUPPORT FOR NORD STREAM 2 

13 PIPELINE. 

14 It is the sense of Congress that the Secretary of State 

15 should urge the Government of Germany to withdraw its 

16 support for the Nord Stream 2 gas pipeline from the Rus17 sian Federation, emphasizing the impropriety of involve18 ment in a project that will support a government that 

19 murders its citizens for highlighting corruption and other 

20 abuses, while at the same making Europe more reliant on 

21 the destabilizing and untrustworthy leadership of the Rus22 sian Federation. 


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1 SEC. 6. SENSE OF CONGRESS ON IMPOSITION OF ADDI2 TIONAL SANCTIONS RELATING TO RECENT 

3 USE OF NOVICHOK IN THE RUSSIAN FEDERA4 TION. 

5 It is the sense of Congress that the President 

6 should— 

7 (1) make a determination under section 306(a) 

8 of the Chemical and Biological Weapons Control and 

9 Warfare Elimination Act of 1991 (22 U.S.C. 

10 5604(a)) with respect to whether the recent use of 

11 Novichok on August 20, 2020, against Russian op12 position leader Alexei Navalny by the Government of 

13 the Russian Federation constituted the use of chem14 ical or biological weapons in violation of inter15 national law or the use of lethal chemical or biologi16 cal weapons against its own nationals as described 

17 in that section; and 

18 (2) if the President makes an affirmative deter19 mination under paragraph (1), impose the sanctions 

20 required by section 307 of that Act (22 U.S.C. 

21 5605). 

22 SEC. 7. CALLING FOR RELEASE OF ALEXEI NAVALNY AND 

23 OTHER POLITICAL PRISONERS FROM POLITI24 CALLY MOTIVATED DETENTION. 

25 (a) SENSE OF CONGRESS.—It is the sense of Con26 gress that authorities of the Government of the Russian 


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1 Federation detained opposition leader Alexei Navalny on 

2 false charges when he returned to Moscow on January 17, 

3 2021, after receiving treatment for Novichok poisoning in 

4 Germany. 

5 (b) CALLING FOR RELEASE OF POLITICAL PRIS6 ONERS.—Congress calls on the Government of the Russian 

7 Federation to immediately release Navalny and all other 

8 political prisoners in the Russian Federation currently im9 prisoned for exercising their fundamental rights. 

Æ 


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