The Russian mercenary group Wagner is set to be designated as a “terrorist” organisation by the UK government.
BBC reported that a draft order would be introduced in parliament, allowing Wagner’s assets to be classified as “terrorist property” and seized. Such categorisation will make it illegal for anybody in the UK to be a member of, or support, the organisation.
UK’s Decision
The UK government’s decision to proscribe the Wagner group as a terrorist organisation was made under the Terrorism Act of 2000 due to “the nature and scale of the organisation’s activities as well as the threat they pose to British nationals abroad,” as stated by the Home Office.
UK Home Secretary Suella Braverman told the BBC that Wagner is “violent and destructive ... a military tool of Vladimir Putin’s Russia.” “They are terrorists, plain and simple — and this proscription order makes that clear in UK law,” she remarked.
Suella Braverman described it as a “threat to global security” because of its operations in Ukraine and Africa. “Wagner’s continuing destabilising activities only serve the Kremlin’s political goals,” she added.
Under the proscription order by the UK, supporting the group, including organising meetings to advance the organisation’s operations, expressing support for its objectives, or displaying its flag or logo will qualify as a criminal offence.
A proscription crime could lead to 14 years in jail or a fine of up to £5,000.
The UK is going to recognize PMC "Wagner" as a terrorist organization. Interior Minister Suella Braverman said Wagner is a violent and destructive organization and a military tool of Russian President Vladimir Putin.#UkraineRussiaWar pic.twitter.com/NrV72GIKpz
— UATV English (@UATV_en) September 6, 2023
The UK’s decision is based on how the Wagner Group proved to play a vital role in Russia’s invasion of Ukraine, as well as in operations in Syria and Africa, notably Libya and Mali. As per reports, its fighters have been charged with various crimes, including killing and torturing Ukrainian citizens.
The British government reported in July that the organisation had carried out “executions and torture in Mali and the Central African Republic.”
Earlier this year, the Labour Party’s shadow foreign secretary, David Lammy, pushed the government to proscribe Wagner and accused the mercenary group of being “responsible for the appalling atrocities in Ukraine and across the world.”
On Tuesday, Lammy welcomed the draft order on X (formerly Twitter), saying, “This is long overdue, but it’s welcome the government has finally acted. Now the government should press for a Special Tribunal to prosecute Putin for his crime of aggression.”
UK Sanctions on Wagner Group
The UK sanctioned Yevgeny Prigozhin, the Wagner chief, in 2020, the Wagner organisation as a whole in March 2022, and individuals and businesses with ties to the organisation in the Central African Republic (CAR), Mali, and Sudan in July this year.
⚡️UK sanctions Wagner leaders for violence across African states.
— The Kyiv Independent (@KyivIndependent) July 20, 2023
The UK government announced on July 20 a new wave of sanctions against 13 individuals and businesses connected to the Wagner Group's activities in Mali, Central African Republic, and Sudan. https://t.co/5Gi780yffD
Prigozhin was sanctioned by the British government in 2020 on accusations of “being responsible for considerable foreign mercenary activity.”
In July, the UK sanctioned 13 individuals and businesses with links to Russia’s Wagner Group in the CAR, Mali, and Sudan, including one described as the “right-hand man” of Prigozhin.
The British government declared that it was adding Wagner officials to the sanctions list and charging them with killings and torture in Mali and the CAR and threats to peace and security in Sudan.
In a more recent and controversial development, Wagner chief Prigozhin was killed when his private plane crashed on its way from Moscow to St. Petersburg in August, two months after he launched a brief and failed mutiny against Russia’s top military leaders.