Mercenary Group Wagner to be designated as a ‘Transnational Criminal Organization’

[b]• ‘Wagner is a criminal organization’ – White House
• Committing ‘widespread atrocities and human rights abuses’
• Wagner Group involved in some of the bloodiest battles in eastern Ukraine, including in Soledar and Bakhmut.
• Widespread accusations of war crimes by Wagner Group contractors
• Wagner Group receiving advanced military aid from North Korea[/b]


[i][c=666666]Drones on display inside Wagner Group's St. Petersburg headquarters (Olga Maltseva/AFP via Getty Images)[/c][/i]

The Wagner Group, a private Russian mercenary company active in Ukraine will be designated a "significant transnational criminal organization" by the U.S. it was announced on Friday, 20 January 2023.
As such, the Wagner Group will face new sanctions according to a White House spokesperson.

The Wagner Group has become an increasing concern for military strategists and governments supporting Ukraine. The Group has an estimated 50,000 personnel assisting Russia in battlefield operations. The Wagner Group mercenaries include 10,000 contracted fighters and 40,000 convicts recruited from Russian prisons.

Of further concern to the White house will be the fact that Wagner is receiving clandestine weapon supplies, including infantry rockets and missiles from North Korea. On Friday, White House National Security Council spokesperson, John Kirby, released photos of Russian railcars traveling from Russia to North Korea and back in November 2022. The U.S. does not believe that this shipment will have any material impact on Russia’s battlefield performance, but that this shipment could be the first of many.

The sourcing of weapons from North Korea by the Wagner Group has been pointed out as evidence of the ongoing threat of the Group due to ongoing criminal activity.
The proposed sanction will bolster a U.S. sanctions regime that has been in place since 2017.