UK to declare Russia’s Wagner Group a ‘terrorist’ organisation

The United Kingdom government is set to designate Wagner, the Russian mercenary group, as a “terrorist” organisation.

The United Kingdom government is set to designate Wagner, the Russian mercenary group, as a “terrorist” organisation.

The BBC, the UK’s public service broadcaster, reported a draft order would be put forward in parliament to allow Wagner’s assets to be categorised as “terrorist” property and seized. The designation will make it illegal for anyone in the UK to be a member of the group or support it.

The Guardian newspaper said the order would be presented on Wednesday (Sept 6).

The decision to proscribe the group under the Terrorism Act 2000 was taken due to “the nature and scale of the organisation’s activities as well as the threat they pose to British nationals abroad,” the Guardian cited the Home Office as saying.

Home Secretary Suella Braverman described Wagner as “violent and destructive… a military tool of [President] Vladimir Putin’s Russia” and said its activities were a “threat to global security”.

The UK has already imposed sanctions on Wagner, some of its senior commanders and those linked to it in Africa, over alleged human rights abuses, but had been under pressure to go further.