{"database": "press", "table": "releases", "rows": [["https://joewilson.house.gov/media/press-releases/wilson-and-jackson-introduce-bipartisan-countering-russias-forced-recruitment", "Wilson and Jackson Introduce Bipartisan \u2018Countering Russia\u2019s Forced Recruitment and Kidnapping in Africa Act\u2019", "2026-05-13", "2026", "2026-05", "Republican", "House", "SC", "Joe Wilson", "W000795", "joewilson.house.gov", "joewilson", "https://joewilson.house.gov/media/press-releases", "scraper", "Washington, DC \u2013 Representatives Joe Wilson (R-SC), senior member of the House Committee on Foreign Affairs Subcommittee on Europe and Jonathan Jackson (D-IL), member of the House Committee on Foreign Affairs Subcommittee on Africa, introduced the\u2018Countering Russia\u2019s Forced Recruitment and Kidnapping in Africa Act.\u2019\n\nThis legislation imposes sanctions on foreign persons and foreign governments participating in or facilitating the recruitment of foreign nationals from African countries for the purpose of fighting war criminal Putin\u2019s war in Ukraine.\n\n\u201cWar criminal Putin and his state-run \u201cmercenary\u201d outfits have generated chaos and misery everywhere they've gone, now extending into kidnapping and conscription to fuel their illegal invasion of Ukraine. Putin's recruitment schemes, human trafficking, and the forced fighting of vulnerable populations in Africa should not be financed by his illegal aggressions,\u201d said Rep. Wilson.\n\n\u201cRussia\u2019s recruitment and exploitation of vulnerable men across multiple nations in Africa is not partnership \u2013 it is predation disguised as opportunity,\u201d said Rep. Jackson. \u201cThis is a violation of human dignity and international law, and the world must not look away. That is why I joined Rep. Wilson in introducing this necessary legislation to condemn Russia\u2019s human trafficking to the frontlines of their illegal war in Ukraine, and sanction those responsible for these heinous crimes.\u201d\n\nBackground\n\nRussian-backed entities are working to recruit civilian and military personnel across Africa to participate in Putin\u2019s illegal and murderous war against Ukraine.\n\nThe Ukrainian government has reported that more than 1,400 citizens from 36 African countries are fighting alongside Russian forces in Ukraine, including many under false pretenses.\n\nThe full text of the bill is available here.\n\n# # #", 1, "2026-06-27T21:44:12Z", "2026-06-27T22:21:02Z"]], "columns": ["url", "title", "date", "year", "month", "party", "chamber", "state", "member_name", "bioguide_id", "domain", "scraper", "source", "date_source", "text", "has_text", "collected_at", "updated_at"], "primary_keys": ["url"], "primary_key_values": ["https://joewilson.house.gov/media/press-releases/wilson-and-jackson-introduce-bipartisan-countering-russias-forced-recruitment"], "units": {}, "query_ms": 1.332505140453577, "source": "dwillis/congress-press", "source_url": "https://github.com/dwillis/congress-press", "license": "MIT", "license_url": "https://github.com/dwillis/congress-press/blob/main/LICENSE"}