Pro-Putin Russian lawmaker wants to declare the United States a ‘terrorist state’ over Ukraine

On Sunday, July 3, explosions were reported in Belgorod, a Russian city about 25 miles from the Ukraine/Russia border — and Duma Deputy Oleg Morozov, according to Newsweek, is claiming that the United States in partly responsible along with Ukraine. Morozov, an ally of Russian President Vladimir Putin and member of Putin’s United Russia Party, is even going so far as to propose that the U.S. be labeled a “terrorist” state by the United Nations.

As of Monday morning, July 4, the Ukrainian military — which continues to fight the Russian forces that have invaded Ukraine — has not claimed responsibility for the explosions in Belgorod. According to Gov. Vyacheslav Gladkov, Russia’s regional leader in that part of the country, the explosions have killed at least three people and damaged 11 apartment buildings along with 39 houses.

But Morozov is saying that the explosions in Belgorod were a missile attack carried out by Ukrainian forces, and he is pointing the finger at the U.S. — which has been an ally of the Ukrainian military during the invasion, although President Joe Biden has been adamant in saying that there will be no U.S. “boots on the ground” in Ukraine.

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Although the Biden Administration and its European allies in the North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO) have responded to the Ukraine invasion with tough economic sanctions against Russia, Biden opposes direct involvement by U.S. troops in the conflict.

But Morozov is insisting that that U.S. support for Ukraine is partly to blame for the explosions in Belgorod.

Members of the United Russia Party, not unlike MAGA Republicans in the U.S., are big on theatrics and grandstanding — which were very much on display when Morozov discussed the explosions with the state-owned Russian news outlet RIA Novosti and partly blame U.S. intelligence.

Morozov told RIA, “Now, it has become obvious that this (U.S.) information is used to shell Russian cities. In fact, this is participation in the war on the side of Ukraine and aggression against Russia. This should be openly stated on all international platforms.”

Morozov called for “the convening of a special U.N. Security Council meeting” that would “declare the United States a terrorist state.”

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Newsweek reporter Isabel Van Brugen notes that the Russian government “has repeatedly accused Kyiv of carrying out targeted attacks on Belgorod and other regions near the Ukraine border since Russian President Vladimir Putin invaded the neighboring country on February 24.”

When Russian forces invaded Ukraine, they were obviously hoping to take over the country quickly. But for the most part, the war has not gone well for Russia — and Ukrainian forces have fought much more aggressively than Putin anticipated. The exact number of Russian troops who have been killed in Ukraine since the invasion is unclear, but Ukrainian officials have said that it is much higher than the Kremlin is admitting. In early June, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky estimated that more than 30,000 Russian troops had been killed in Ukraine since February 24.