U.S. tightens sanctions against Wagner mercenary group
Putin's henchman Yevgeny Prigozhin (Photo:Anton Gerashchenko/Telegram)
The U.S. Department of Commerce has announced new sanctions against Russian mercenary organization Wagner Group, owned by close associate of Russian dictator Vladimir Putin, Yevgeny Prigozhin, the Reuters news agency reported on Dec. 21.
"The Wagner Group is one of the most notorious mercenary organizations in the world and is actively committing atrocities and human rights abuses across Ukraine,” said Under Secretary of Commerce for Industry and Security Alan Estevez.
“Today we are sending a clear message to non-state actors seeking to pick up the baton of brutality from Putin’s faltering military that the Department of Commerce will not hesitate to act against them.”
Following the application of these sanctions, Wagner will now be designated a "military end user" and will be restricted in purchasing any technologies made anywhere in the world with U.S. equipment.
The Wagner Group was initially included in a trade blacklist in 2017.
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