U.S. National Security Council spokesman John Kirby said Friday that the Treasury Department will designate the Wagner Group, a Kremlin-aligned mercenary network, as a «transnational criminal organization.»
According to the senior White House official, the Treasury also plans to impose a new round of sanctions against the organization and its main allies next week, as part of the measures imposed by Washington on Russia and its allies in response to the war in Ukraine.
«These actions recognize the transcontinental threat posed by Wagner, including through its continuing pattern of serious criminal activity,» Kirby acknowledged to the media at the White House, as reported by CNN.
The Wagner Group’s activities include not only its role on Ukrainian soil, fighting on behalf of Russian interests, but also its presence in armed conflicts in several African countries.
In fact, according to Kirby, the Wagner Group is reaching such a high level of power that it could be becoming a danger to the Russian Army itself and some of its ministries. Moscow would have «reservations» about the organization’s recruitment in Russian prisons.
Source: (EUROPA PRESS)
