The US is shifting to label the Wagner Group, Russia’s personal army company, a world “criminal organization” and has vowed so as to add additional sanctions to the Kremlin-linked agency.
In addition to the Treasury Department’s resolution to label Wagner as a “significant transnational criminal organization,” the Biden administration will impose financial penalties on the group and its “support network” subsequent week, National Security Council spokesman John Kirby informed reporters on Friday.
“These actions recognize the transcontinental threat that Wagner poses, including through its ongoing pattern of serious criminal activity,” mentioned Kirby.
“Our message to any company that is considering providing support to Wagner is simply this: Wagner is a criminal organization that is committing widespread atrocities and human rights abuses,” he added.
Wagner has some 50,000 personnel deployed in Ukraine as a way to bolster Russia’s struggle effort there, based on US assessments. The agency has pivotal to Russia’s current good points within the Donbass, and has been concerned in battle worldwide, together with in Libya, the Central African Republic and Mali.
On Thursday, Evgeny Prigozhin, the group’s chief, mentioned his mercenaries “completely took control” of Kleshcheyevka, a key suburb of town of Bakhmut via which Ukrainian troops had been equipped with weapons and army gear.
Prigozhin claimed “fierce battles” continued round Kleshcheyevka, with the Ukrainians “clinging onto every meter of ground.”
“Contrary to various opinions that the AFU (armed forces of Ukraine) is fleeing from Artyomovsk (Russian name for Bakhmut), this is not the case. The AFU works clearly, smoothly. We have a lot to learn from them. But in any case, the units of the Wagner PMC are moving forward meter by meter. The settlement of Artyomovsk will be taken,” he mentioned.
The White House individually launched photographs that it says depict 5 Russian rail vehicles that traveled to North Korea Nov. 18 the place they had been loaded with rockets and missiles earlier than returning to Russia Nov. 19. The weapons had been finally utilized by Wagner in Ukraine, based on the manager mansion.
“While we assess that the amount of material delivered to Wagner has not changed battlefield dynamics in Ukraine, we do expect that it will continue to receive North Korean weapons systems,” mentioned Kirby. “We obviously condemn North Korea’s actions and we urge North Korea to cease these deliveries to Wagner immediately.”
