WASHINGTON — House lawmakers on Monday are pushing a bipartisan bill to crack down on Russian soldiers for hire, including mercenaries training Venezuelan troops, The Post can exclusively reveal.
Rep. Joe Wilson (R-SC) will introduce the Holding Accountable Russian Mercenaries Act 2.0, an updated version of earlier legislation that forced the State Department to label the notorious Wagner Group a foreign terrorist organization.
The new bill, supported by other Republicans such as Rep. Mike Lawler (R-NY), targets Wagner’s rebranded offshoots — including Africa Corps, Redut PMC and Patriot PMC — and would require the US to designate them as terrorist groups and impose sanctions.
“[Vladimir] Putin’s Russia is attacking countries all over the world with many forms of sabotage, terrorism, and blackmail,” Wilson said. “Its state-run ‘mercenary’ outfits are the tip of the spear, generating chaos and misery everywhere they go.”
The move comes as Russian private military contractors continue to play a growing role in propping up the regime of Venezuelan strongman Nicolás Maduro, who was captured by US forces in January. His vice president, Delcy Rodríguez, is now in charge.
Since 2019, hundreds of Russian contractors have reportedly provided security and support to the Maduro regime, including during a presidential crisis that threatened his grip on power, according to the Foundation for Defending Democracy.
Secretary of State Marco Rubio has repeatedly warned of drones being launched from Venezuela, saying that hostile powers — including Iran — have built drone production capabilities in the South American country.
Ukrainian intelligence in November said more than 120 Russian military personnel, led by Lt. Gen. Oleg Makarevich, were actively training Venezuelan militants in infantry, special forces and drone operators, according to FDD.
The new bill seeks to close what lawmakers describe as a loophole created after Wagner chief Yevgeny Prigozhin’s death in 2023, when the mercenary network was reorganized under Russia’s Ministry of Defense.
The legislation would require the State Department to regularly review and update terrorist designations to capture newly renamed or successor groups, preventing Moscow from evading sanctions by rebranding its proxy forces.
It also increases oversight by mandating a Comptroller General review and expanded annual reporting on Russian mercenary command structures, funding networks, resource extraction operations, sanctions effectiveness, and deployments in Venezuela and across the Western Hemisphere.
Other co-sponsors include Reps. Steve Cohen (D-Tenn.), Maria Salazar (R-Fla.), Jimmy Panetta (D-Calif.), Pat Fallon (R-Texas) and Zach Nunn (R-Iowa,), according to Wilson’s office.
Supporters, including FDD Action, argue the bill is necessary to counter Russia’s growing influence in Latin America and curb the use of mercenaries to prop up authoritarian regimes.
“With Russian mercenaries actively supporting dictators in our hemisphere, this legislation provides critical tools to counter malign influence and protect US national security,” the advocacy arm of FDD said.
