Politics
U.S. designates Russian paramilitary firm Wagner Group as criminal organization
The group is being accused of destabilizing governments and several other human rights violations, including targeting women and children in Ukraine, attacking schools and hospitals, and forcibly relocating civilians
January 26, 2023 9:20pm
Updated: January 26, 2023 9:20pm
The United States on Thursday designated the Wagner Group, a Russian private military company, as a transnational criminal organization for helping Russia’s military in the Ukraine war.
The Treasury Department said the Wagner Group, led by Russian President Vladimir Putun’s close ally Yevgeny Prigozhin, was engaging in an “ongoing pattern of serious criminal activity” in Ukraine, the Central African Republic, and Mali.
The group is being accused of destabilizing governments and several other human rights violations, including targeting women and children in Ukraine, attacking schools and hospitals, and forcibly relocating civilians.
“Wagner personnel have engaged in an ongoing pattern of serious criminal activity, including mass execution, rape, child abductions, and physical abuse.”
According to National Security Council spokesman John Kirby, the Wagner Group has an estimated 50,000 personnel in Ukraine, most of which have been recruited from Russian prisons.
“Our message to any company that is considering providing support to Wagner is simply this, Wagner is a criminal organization that is continuing widespread atrocities and human rights abuses,” Kirby added.
The Wagner Group allegedly delivered a shipment of North Korean arms to Russian forces in Ukraine, signaling the group's involvement in the conflict, according to the White House.
Additionally, the Treasury Department sanctioned eight individuals and 16 entities, many with ties to the Wagner Group.
"As sanctions and export controls on Russia from our international coalition continue to bite, the Kremlin is desperately searching for arms and support — including through the brutal Wagner Group — to continue its unjust war against Ukraine," Treasury Secretary Janet Yellen said in a statement. "Today's expanded sanctions on Wagner, as well as new sanctions on their associates and other companies enabling the Russian military complex, will further impede Putin's ability to arm and equip his war machine."
