A mural praises the Russian Wagner group and its mercenaries fighting in Ukraine on March 30, 2022 in Belgrade, Serbia.
Pierre Crom | Getty Images
WASHINGTON – The Biden administration on Thursday announced a slew of fresh sanctions and extra measures targeting Russia’s private military firm, the Wagner Group, saying it’s engaged in an “ongoing pattern of great criminal activity” in Ukraine, the Central African Republic and Mali.
The Treasury Department identified the Wagner Group, led by Vladimir Putin crony Yevgeny Prigozhin, as a “significant transnational criminal organization.”
Within the Central African Republic and Mali, the Treasury said “Wagner personnel have engaged in an ongoing pattern of great criminal activity, including mass execution, rape, child abductions and physical abuse.” It also stands accused of destabilizing governments in Africa and targeting women, children and other civilians in Ukraine, attacking schools and hospitals, and forcibly relocating civilians, amongst other human rights violations.
Last week, National Security Council spokesman John Kirby told reporters on the White House that U.S. intelligence estimates indicate the Wagner Group has no less than 50,000 personnel in Ukraine, most of them recruited for the fight from Russian prisons.
White House National Security Council Strategic Communications Coordinator John Kirby (not pictured) presents images that allege railcar movement between Russia and North Korea during a press briefing on the White House in Washington, U.S., January 20, 2023.
Leah Millis | Reuters
“Our message to any company that’s considering providing support to Wagner is just this, Wagner is a criminal organization that is continuous widespread atrocities and human rights abuses,” Kirby added.
Kirby also slammed North Korean weapon deliveries to Russia utilized by Wagner, including infantry rockets and missiles.Â
Thursday’s sanctions on six individuals and 12 entities also goal “the infrastructure that supports battlefield operations in Ukraine, including producers of Russia’s weapons and people administering Russian-occupied areas of Ukraine.”
The Treasury sanctioned Rustam Nurgaliyevich Minnikhanov, the Russian chairman of the already-sanctioned Tupolev Public Joint Stock Co., for his work in supporting Moscow’s aerospace sector. His wife, Gulsina Akhatovna Minnikhanova, was also designated for being the first registered owner of most of Minnikhanov’s properties and accepting bribes.
Treasury also announced sanctions against firms affiliated with Russia’s defense industrial complex:
- Russian cargo airline JSC Aviacon Zitotrans for transporting military equipment like rockets, helicopter parts and warheads.
- Ural Civil Aviation Factory for repairing unmanned aerial vehicles utilized in Russia’s war in Ukraine.
- Russian manufacturer Almaz-Antey for its work developing anti-missile and anti-aircraft systems.
Moreover, the Treasury is imposing sanctions on multiple entities and individuals involved within the paramilitary group’s colossal global network.
- Joint Stock Company Terra Tech, a Russian-based technology firm, for providing space and aerial imagery to the Wagner Group.
- China’s Changsha Tianyi Space Science and Technology Research Institute and its subsidiary Spacety Luxembourg for providing radar satellite imagery over Ukrainian locations.
- Joint Stock Company Research and Production, a Russian space company supporting Moscow’s military activities in Ukraine.
“As sanctions and export controls on Russia from our international coalition proceed to bite, the Kremlin is desperately trying to find arms and support — including through the brutal Wagner Group,” Treasury Secretary Janet Yellen wrote in an announcement announcing the measures.
“Today’s expanded sanctions on Wagner, in addition to recent sanctions on their associates and other firms enabling the Russian military complex, will further impede Putin’s ability to arm and equip his war machine,” she added.
Further, the State Department issued sanctions against one individual and 4 entities related to already-designated Russian oligarch Vladimir Potanin.
The State Department can also be designating Sergei Adonev, a Putin financier, in addition to flagging two of his yachts and one aircraft as blocked property.
As well as, State announced steps to impose visa restrictions on 531 members of the Russian military for his or her role in Ukraine.
“The USA is steadfast in our resolve against Russia’s aggression and other destabilizing behavior worldwide,” Secretary of State Antony Blinken wrote in an announcement.
“Today’s designations will further impede the Kremlin’s ability to arm its war machine that’s engaged in a war of aggression against Ukraine, and which has caused unconscionable death and destruction,” he added.
