U.S. plans to impose new sanctions subsequent week in opposition to Russia’s Wagner non-public army group
By Steve Holland
WASHINGTON, Jan 20 (Reuters) – America will impose extra sanctions subsequent week in opposition to the Russian non-public army firm, the Wagner Group, that U.S. officers say has been serving to Russia’s army within the Ukraine struggle, a senior administration official mentioned on Friday.
The official, talking on situation of anonymity, mentioned the U.S. Treasury Division will designate Wagner as a big Transnational Felony Group.
“In coordination with this designation, we can even impose extra sanctions subsequent week in opposition to Wagner and its help community throughout a number of continents. These actions acknowledge the transcontinental menace that Wagner poses, together with by its ongoing sample of significant felony exercise,” the official mentioned.
Declaring Wagner a Transnational Felony Group beneath U.S. govt order 13581 freezes any U.S. belongings of Wagner and prohibits Individuals from offering funds, items, or providers to the group.
“With these actions, and extra to return, our message to any firm that’s contemplating offering help to Wagner is that this: Wagner is a felony group that’s committing widespread atrocities and human rights abuses, and we are going to work relentlessly to determine, disrupt, expose, and goal these aiding Wagner,” the official mentioned.
Final month the White Home mentioned the Wagner Group took supply of an arms cargo from North Korea to assist bolster Russian forces in Ukraine, in an indication of the group’s increasing position in that battle.
North Korea’s overseas ministry had known as the report groundless and denounced the USA for offering deadly weapons to Ukraine. Wagner proprietor Yevgeny Prigozhin final month denied taking supply of arms from North Korea and characterised the report as “gossip and hypothesis.”
The U.S. authorities on Friday made public a picture dated Nov. 18 that it mentioned confirmed Russian rail vehicles touring between Russia and North Korea. (Reporting by Steve Holland; modifying by Jonathan Oatis)