I 
117TH CONGRESS 
1ST SESSION H. R. 1223 
To impose sanctions with respect to individuals associated with the Govern-
ment 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 HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES 
FEBRUARY 23, 2021 
Mr. COHEN (for himself, Mr. WILSON of South Carolina, Ms. KAPTUR, Mr. 
FITZPATRICK, and Mr. CICILLINE) introduced the following bill; which 
was referred to the Committee on Foreign Affairs, and in addition to the 
Committees on the Judiciary, Financial Services, Ways and Means, 
Transportation and Infrastructure, and Oversight and Reform, for a pe-
riod to be subsequently determined by the Speaker, in each case for con-
sideration of such provisions as fall within the jurisdiction of the com-
mittee concerned 
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. 
Be it enacted by the Senate and House of Representa-
tives of the United States of America in Congress assembled, 
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SECTION 1. SHORT TITLE. 
This Act may be cited as the ‘‘Holding Russia Ac-
countable for Malign Activities Act of 2021’’. 
SEC. 2. IMPOSITION OF SANCTIONS WITH RESPECT TO THE 
POISONING OF OPPOSITION LEADER ALEXEI 
NAVALNY. 
(a) IDENTIFICATION.—Not later than 90 days after 
the date of the enactment of this Act, the President shall 
submit to Congress a report identifying any current or 
former official of, or other individual acting for or on be-
half of, the Government of the Russian Federation that 
the President determines was involved in the poisoning on 
August 20, 2020, of Russian opposition leader Alexei 
Navalny or the subsequent cover-up of the poisoning. 
(b) IMPOSITION
OF SANCTIONS.—With respect to 
each official or other individual identified in the report re-
quired by subsection (a), the President shall impose sanc-
tions under the Global Magnitsky Human Rights Account-
ability Act (subtitle F of title XII of Public Law 114– 
328; 22 U.S.C. 2656 note) or the following sanctions: 
(1) ASSET BLOCKING.—The President shall ex-
ercise all of the powers granted to the President 
under the International Emergency Economic Pow-
ers Act (50 U.S.C. 1701 et seq.) to the extent nec-
essary to block and prohibit all transactions in prop-
erty and interests in property of the official or other 
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individual identified in the report required by sub-
section (a) if such property and interests in property 
are in the United States, come within the United 
States, or are or come within the possession or con-
trol of a United States person. 
(2) INELIGIBILITY FOR VISAS, ADMISSION, OR 
PAROLE.— 
(A) VISAS, ADMISSION, OR PAROLE.—An 
alien identified in the report required by sub-
section (a) is— 
(i) inadmissible to the United States; 
(ii) ineligible to receive a visa or other 
documentation to enter the United States; 
and 
(iii) otherwise ineligible to be admitted 
or paroled into the United States or to re-
ceive any other benefit under the Immigra-
tion and Nationality Act (8 U.S.C. 1101 et 
seq.). 
(B) CURRENT VISAS REVOKED.— 
(i) IN GENERAL.—An alien identified 
in the report required by subsection (a) is 
subject to revocation of any visa or other 
entry documentation regardless of when 
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the visa or other entry documentation is or 
was issued. 
(ii) IMMEDIATE
EFFECT.—A revoca-
tion under clause (i) shall— 
(I) take effect immediately; and 
(II) cancel any other valid visa or 
entry documentation that is in the 
alien’s possession. 
(c) WAIVER; EXCEPTIONS; IMPLEMENTATION
OF 
SANCTIONS.— 
(1) IMPLEMENTATION; PENALTIES.— 
(A) 
IMPLEMENTATION.—The 
President 
may exercise all authorities provided under sec-
tions 203 and 205 of the International Emer-
gency Economic Powers Act (50 U.S.C. 1702 
and 1704) to the extent necessary to carry out 
this section. 
(B) PENALTIES.—A person that violates, 
attempts to violate, conspires to violate, or 
causes a violation of subsection (b)(1), or any 
regulation, license, or order issued to carry out 
that subsection, shall be subject to the penalties 
set forth in subsections (b) and (c) of section 
206 of the International Emergency Economic 
Powers Act (50 U.S.C. 1705) to the same ex-
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tent as a person that commits an unlawful act 
described in subsection (a) of that section. 
(2) NATIONAL SECURITY WAIVER.—The Presi-
dent may waive the application of sanctions under 
this section with respect to a person if the President 
determines and certifies to Congress that such a 
waiver is in the national security interests of the 
United States. 
(3) EXCEPTIONS.— 
(A) EXCEPTION
FOR
INTELLIGENCE
AC-
TIVITIES.—Sanctions under this section shall 
not apply to any activity subject to the report-
ing requirements under title V of the National 
Security Act of 1947 (50 U.S.C. 3091 et seq.) 
or any authorized intelligence activities of the 
United States. 
(B) EXCEPTION TO COMPLY WITH INTER-
NATIONAL OBLIGATIONS.—Sanctions under sub-
section (b)(2) shall not apply with respect to an 
alien if admitting or paroling the alien into the 
United States is necessary to permit the United 
States to comply with the Agreement regarding 
the Headquarters of the United Nations, signed 
at Lake Success June 26, 1947, and entered 
into force November 21, 1947, between the 
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United Nations and the United States, or other 
applicable international obligations. 
(C) EXCEPTION RELATING TO THE IMPOR-
TATION OF GOODS.— 
(i) IN GENERAL.—The authorities and 
requirements to impose sanctions author-
ized under this section shall not include 
the authority or a requirement to impose 
sanctions on the importation of goods. 
(ii) GOOD DEFINED.—In this subpara-
graph, the term ‘‘good’’ means any article, 
natural or manmade substance, material, 
supply, or manufactured product, including 
inspection and test equipment, and exclud-
ing technical data. 
(d) DEFINITIONS.—In this section: 
(1) ADMISSION; ADMITTED; ALIEN.—The terms 
‘‘admission’’, ‘‘admitted’’, and ‘‘alien’’ have the 
meanings given those terms in section 101 of the 
Immigration and Nationality Act (8 U.S.C. 1101). 
(2) 
UNITED
STATES
PERSON.—The 
term 
‘‘United States person’’ means— 
(A) an individual who is a United States 
citizen or an alien lawfully admitted for perma-
nent residence to the United States; 
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(B) an entity organized under the laws of 
the United States or any jurisdiction within the 
United States, including a foreign branch of 
such an entity; or 
(C) any person in the United States. 
SEC. 3. REPORT ON THE ASSASSINATION OF BORIS 
NEMTSOV. 
Not later than 180 days after the date of the enact-
ment of this Act, the Secretary of State, in coordination 
with the Director of National Intelligence, shall submit to 
Congress a report detailing the circumstances of the assas-
sination on February 27, 2015, of Russian opposition 
leader Boris Nemtsov, including— 
(1) a list of the individuals the Secretary deter-
mines to have been involved in the assassination as 
perpetrators or as having organized or directed the 
assassination; 
(2) a description of what measures, if any, have 
been taken by the Government of the Russian Fed-
eration to investigate the assassination and bring the 
individuals described in paragraph (1) to justice; 
and 
(3) an assessment of the effectiveness of those 
measures. 
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SEC. 4. REPORT ON PERSONAL WEALTH OF VLADIMIR 
PUTIN AND HIS FAMILY MEMBERS. 
(a) IN GENERAL.—Not later than 180 days after the 
date of the enactment of this Act, the President shall sub-
mit to Congress a report on the sources and extent of the 
personal wealth of the President of the Russian Federa-
tion, Vladimir Putin, and his family members. 
(b) PERSONAL WEALTH.—The report required by 
subsection (a) shall include an assessment of the assets, 
investments, bank accounts, other business interests, and 
relevant beneficial ownership information of Vladimir 
Putin and his family members. 
(c) FORM.—The report required by subsection (a) 
shall be submitted in unclassified form but may include 
a classified annex. 
SEC. 5. DIPLOMATIC ENGAGEMENT WITH GERMANY WITH 
RESPECT TO SUPPORT FOR NORD STREAM 2 
PIPELINE. 
It is the sense of Congress that the Secretary of State 
should urge the Government of Germany to withdraw its 
support for the Nord Stream 2 gas pipeline from the Rus-
sian Federation, emphasizing the impropriety of involve-
ment in a project that will support a government that 
murders its citizens for highlighting corruption and other 
abuses, while at the same making Europe more reliant on 
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the destabilizing and untrustworthy leadership of the Rus-
sian Federation. 
SEC. 6. SENSE OF CONGRESS ON IMPOSITION OF ADDI-
TIONAL SANCTIONS RELATING TO RECENT 
USE OF NOVICHOK IN THE RUSSIAN FEDERA-
TION. 
It is the sense of Congress that the President 
should— 
(1) make a determination under section 306(a) 
of the Chemical and Biological Weapons Control and 
Warfare Elimination Act of 1991 (22 U.S.C. 
5604(a)) with respect to whether the recent use of 
Novichok on August 20, 2020, against Russian op-
position leader Alexei Navalny by the Government of 
the Russian Federation constituted the use of chem-
ical or biological weapons in violation of inter-
national law or the use of lethal chemical or biologi-
cal weapons against its own nationals as described 
in that section; and 
(2) if the President makes an affirmative deter-
mination under paragraph (1), impose the sanctions 
required by section 307 of that Act (22 U.S.C. 
5605). 
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SEC. 7. CALLING FOR RELEASE OF ALEXEI NAVALNY AND 
OTHER POLITICAL PRISONERS FROM POLITI-
CALLY MOTIVATED DETENTION. 
(a) SENSE OF CONGRESS.—It is the sense of Con-
gress that authorities of the Government of the Russian 
Federation detained opposition leader Alexei Navalny on 
false charges when he returned to Moscow on January 17, 
2021, after receiving treatment for Novichok poisoning in 
Germany. 
(b) CALLING
FOR RELEASE
OF POLITICAL PRIS-
ONERS.—Congress calls on the Government of the Russian 
Federation to immediately release Navalny and all other 
political prisoners in the Russian Federation currently im-
prisoned for exercising their fundamental rights. 
Æ 
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