UK Government To Declare Russia's Wagner Group Terrorist Organisation

Wagner is set to be declared a terrorist group by the United Kingdom government.

Wagner chief Yevgeny Prigozhin.

Source : Getty

Wagner, the Russian mercenary group, will be declared a terrorist group by the United Kingdom government. Following the declaration, it will be illegal to be a member organisation or extend support to it. A draft order is set to be laid in Parliament after which the assets of the organisation will be categorised as terrorist property and seized.

The home secretary Suella Braverman said Wagner was "violent and destructive... a military tool of Vladimir Putin's Russia," as per BBC. She stated that its work in Ukraine and Africa was a "threat to global security". Braverman added: "Wagner's continuing destabilising activities only continue to serve the Kremlin's political goals."

"They are terrorists, plain and simple - and this proscription order makes that clear in UK law." Wagner was instrumental in Russia's invasion of Ukraine, as well as operations in Syria and countries in Africa including Libya and Mali.

The proscription order means that extending support to the group will be considered a criminal offence. It also includes arranging a meeting aimed at extending the activities of the organisation, supporting its aims or displaying its flag or logo. Committing a proscription offence could lead to 14 years in jail or a fine of up to £5,000.

Wagner Chief Yevgeny Prigozhin's Died In Plane Crash

Wagner Chief Yevgeny Prigozhin was killed in a plane crash, according to Russia's Investigative Committee, news agency Associated Press (AP) reported. Svetlana Petrenko, a committee spokeswoman, said in a statement that forensic testing identified all ten remains retrieved at the scene of Wednesday's disaster and that the findings "conform to the manifest" of the jet. The statement provided no information on what caused the crash.

As part of the inquiry into the plane crash in the Tver area, molecular-genetic tests have been performed, according to the investigative committee spokeswoman Svetlana Petrenko. "According to their results, the identities of all 10 victims were established, they correspond to the list stated in the flight list," she added.

Prigozhin, along with several of his senior lieutenants, were on the list of individuals on board the plane that crashed Wednesday, according to Russia's civil aviation authorities earlier this week. Dmitry Peskov, a Kremlin spokesperson, called the tragedy as "tragic," labelling allegations of suspected foul play a "absolute lie." Following the disaster, Russian authorities launched an inquiry into air traffic infractions.

Earlier, Yevgeny Prigozhin staged a short rebellion against Russia's army senior command. The rebellion was described as a treacherous "stab in the back" by Russian President Vladimir Putin, who later met with Prigozhin in the Kremlin. He expressed his sympathies to the families of those who died in the disaster, according to the aviation agency.