The U.S. Senate unanimously approved a resolution urging U.S. Secretary of State Anthony Blinken to declare Russia a state sponsor of terrorism for actions in Chechnya, Georgia, Syria and Ukraine that resulted in "the deaths of countless innocent men, women and children," The New York Times reported. 

"The armed forces of the Russian Federation committed numerous summary executions of innocent civilians and attempted to cover up their atrocities with mass graves throughout Ukraine," the Senate bill said.

A similar measure has been introduced in the House, where Speaker Nancy Pelosi is expected to be a strong supporter of its passage. However, the power to designate a state as a sponsor of terrorism belongs to the State Department.