In his efforts to put more pressure on Russia, Biden’s administration is considering labeling a foreign terrorist organization the Wagner Group, a privately owned military company that has been under US sanctions for years.
That move is also part of the efforts to handicap Wagner Group’s active involvement in Ukraine and its growing presence and operations in several African countries by allowing the US to criminally prosecute its members and target their assets around the world.
The group has gained prominence and power around the globe, especially after the Russian invasion of Ukraine where it is believed that its mercenaries have played a major role since its leader Yevgeny Prigozhin is considered a major ally and supporter of Russian President Vladimir Putin.
Prigozhin was named a key “ally” of Putin by Western intelligence and political activists who also accused him of “meddling” in US presidential elections in 2016 which he satirically “admitted” earlier this month in a statement that was taken at face value by major news agencies.
Although the US government has so far resisted calls to declare Russia a state sponsor of terrorism over concerns of potentially endangering humanitarian transactions with Moscow, rumors are that the terrorist designation for Warner Group could be a way for the White House to appease domestic critics.
Bloomberg’s sources also pinpoint the potential origin of the call within the Democrat-leaning “national security” blog Lawfare, more specifically the former CIA officers James Petrila and Phil Wasielewski’s article published in June which allegedly conveyed the proposal.
The article advocated for ending the Wagner Group’s utility to Moscow and, therefore, its existence, proposing the US to destroy the group’s financing and its recruitment efforts, deny its members the ability to travel internationally and discourage foreign governments from employing it.
Pointing to their alleged deployment in places like Syria, Libya, Mali, and the Central African Republic since 2014, the article claim that the Wagner Group’s activities align with Russia’s covert and overt foreign policy goals.
Be the first to comment