SECTION 1. SHORT TITLE. 
This Act may be cited as the ‘‘Ukraine Religious 
Freedom Support Act’’. 
SEC. 2. FINDINGS. 
Congress makes the following findings: 
(1) Russia invaded the Crimea region of 
Ukraine in February 2014, continues to occupy and 
control that region, and has exercised control over 
part of the Donbas region of eastern Ukraine since 
April 2014 through non-state armed groups and ille-
gal entities it has established, instigated, com-
manded, and supported, including with military and 
intelligence personnel on the ground from Russia. 
(2) International humanitarian law, including 
the Geneva Conventions, to which Russia is a signa-
tory, requires Russia to respect and protect the reli-
gious freedom of the inhabitants of the territory it 
occupies or controls, including through organized 
non-state armed groups and illegal entities it com-
mands and supports, and holds Russia responsible 
for violations of religious freedom in this territory. 
(3) According to the Department of State’s 
International Religious Freedom Reports, and other 
reporting, violations of religious freedom in the Cri-
mea region of Ukraine since Russia invaded and oc-
cupied the territory have included abduction, deten-
tion and imprisonment, torture, forced psychiatric 
hospitalizations, fines, restrictions on missionary ac-
tivities, confiscations of property, including churches 
and meeting halls, expulsions and obstructions to re-
entry, denying registration of religious groups, van-
dalism, fines, and banning peaceful religious groups, 
and targeted groups have included Muslim Crimean 
Tatars, the Orthodox Church of Ukraine, formerly 
the Ukrainian Orthodox Church of the Kyivan Patri-
archate, the Ukrainian Greek Catholic Church, 
Protestant Christians, and Jehovah’s Witnesses. 
(4) According to the Department of State’s 
International Religious Freedom Reports, violations 
of religious freedom in the part of the Donbas region 
of Ukraine controlled by armed groups commanded 
by Russia have included detention and imprison-
ment, torture, confiscation of property, including 
churches and meeting halls, physical assaults and 
threats of violence, vandalism, fines, restrictions on 
missionary activities, religious services, ceremonies, 
gatherings, and literature, and banning of peaceful 
religious groups, and targeted groups have included 
the Orthodox Church of Ukraine, formerly the 
Ukrainian Orthodox Church-Kyiv Patriarchate, the
Ukrainian Greek Catholic Church, Protestant Chris-
tians, and Jehovah’s Witnesses. 
(5) The International Religious Freedom Act of 
1998, as amended by the Frank R. Wolf Inter-
national Religious Freedom Act, requires the Presi-
dent to— 
(A) designate a foreign country as a coun-
try of particular concern for religious freedom 
when its government has engaged in or toler-
ated particularly severe violations of religious 
freedom in that country over the previous 12 
months; 
(B) take one or more of the actions de-
scribed in paragraphs (9) through (15) of sec-
tion 405(a) of the International Religious Free-
dom Act of 1998 (22 U.S.C. 6445(a)), or com-
mensurate actions in substitution, not later 
than 90 days, or 180 days in case of a delay 
under paragraph (3), after the date of the des-
ignation of a country as a country of particular 
concern for religious freedom; and 
(C) designate a foreign country on a ‘‘Spe-
cial Watch List’’ when its government has en-
gaged in or tolerated severe violations of reli-
gious freedom in that country over the previous 
12 months. 
(6) On December 18, 2019, the Secretary of 
State re-designated Russia for the ‘‘Special Watch 
List’’. 
(7) The National Security Strategy of the 
United States issued in 2017, 2015, 2006, 2002, 
2000, 1999, 1998, and 1997, committed the United 
States to promoting international religious freedom 
to advance the security, economic, and other na-
tional interests of the United States. 
SEC. 3. STATEMENT OF POLICY. 
It is the policy of the United States to consider any 
alien who, while serving as an official of the Government 
of Russia, was responsible for or directly carried out par-
ticularly severe violations of religious freedom in the sov-
ereign territory of Ukraine that Russia illegally occupies 
or controls, including through non-state armed groups and 
illegal entities it commands and supports, to have com-
mitted particularly severe violations of religious freedom 
for purposes of applying section 212(a)(2)(G) of the Im-
migration and Nationality Act (8 U.S.C. 1182(a)(2)(G)) 
with respect to any such alien.
SEC. 4. DESIGNATION OF RUSSIA AS A COUNTRY OF PAR-
TICULAR CONCERN FOR RELIGIOUS FREE-
DOM. 
For purposes of making a determination of whether 
to designate Russia as a country of particular concern for 
religious freedom under section 402 of the International 
Religious Freedom Act of 1998 (22 U.S.C. 6442), the 
President shall consider any particularly severe violation 
of religious freedom in the territory of Ukraine that Rus-
sia occupies or controls, including controls through non- 
state armed groups and illegal entities it commands and 
supports, during the period of time that is the basis for 
the determination and designation, to be a particularly se-
vere violation of religious freedom that the Government 
of Russia has engaged in or tolerated. 
SEC. 5. DETERMINATION OF BUDGETARY EFFECTS. 
The budgetary effects of this Act, for the purpose of 
complying with the Statutory Pay-As-You-Go Act of 2010, 
shall be determined by reference to the latest statement 
titled ‘‘Budgetary Effects of PAYGO Legislation’’ for this 
Act, submitted for printing in the Congressional Record 
by the Chairman of the House Budget Committee, pro-
vided that such statement has been submitted prior to the 
vote on passage. 
Passed the House of Representatives November 18, 
2020. 
Attest: 
Clerk.
116TH CONGRESS 
2D SESSION 
H. R. 5408 
AN ACT 
To oppose violations of religious freedom in 
Ukraine by Russia and armed groups com-
manded by Russia.