Wagner Group designated as criminal organization by US Treasury

By Al Mayadeen English
Source: Agencies
26 Jan 20:05

The statement issued by the US treasury today also announced the introduction of sanctions on six individuals and 12 entities in connection with Russia's military operation in Ukraine.

Russian paramilitary organization Wagner Group's chief Yevgeny Prigozhin with some of the group's combatants inside the salt mines in soledar January 11, 2023 (Telegram)

The US Treasury announced on Thursday that the US has designated Wagner Group, Russia's private military company as a transnational criminal organization.

"Today, the Wagner Group is being redesignated pursuant to Executive Order (E.O.) 13581, as amended by E.O. 13863, for being a foreign person that constitutes a significant transnational criminal organization," the release said.

The statement also announced the introduction of sanctions on six individuals and 12 entities in connection with Russia's military operation in Ukraine.

"Today, the U.S. Department of the Treasury’s Office of Foreign Assets Control (OFAC) is taking additional actions to degrade the Russian Federation’s capacity to wage war against Ukraine by sanctioning six individuals and 12 entities," the release said.

The list includes Russian cargo airline Aviacon Zitotrans, UAV developer Ural Civil Aviation Factory, Joint Stock Company National Aviation Service Company, LLC Research & Production Enterprise Prima, Federal State Unitary Enterprise Scientific and Production Enterprise Gamma, as well as state-owned enterprise Almaz-Antey and its CEO Yan Novikov, among others.

On another note, it also announced the imposition of visa restrictions on 531 members of the Russian military in connection with the conflict.

“The Department of State is further taking steps to impose visa restrictions on 531 members of the Russian Federation military for actions that threaten or violate the sovereignty, territorial integrity, or political independence of Ukraine pursuant to Section 212(a)(3)(C) of the Immigration and Nationality Act,” the Treasury said.

This follows a week after the Russian Armed Forces managed to take control of the village of Klishchiivka, located near Bakhmut, in the DPR. It also comes two weeks after the takeover of Soledar, which Kimakovsky referred to above, where it was a severe sight of savage battle with the presence of Ukrainian forces alongside Bakhmut. Both key towns are located in the Kiev-controlled part of the DPR, which became part of the Russian Federation in September following popular referenda in the region, alongside other neighboring regions.

Russian President Vladimir Putin declared that the people living in the DPR, the Lugansk People's Republic, Kherson, and Zaparozhye "have become [Russian] citizens forever. I want people in Kiev and their real owners to listen to me; we call on Kiev to enter an immediate ceasefire to end the war they initiated back in 2014."

Bakhmut has been an important transport hub for supplying the Ukrainian troops in the Donbass in light of the Ukraine war.