By Daphne Psaledakis
WASHINGTON, Jan 26 (Reuters) – The United States on Thursday imposed additional sanctions against Russian private military company the Wagner Group, which U.S. officials say has been helping Russia’s military in its war in Ukraine.
The U.S. Treasury Department said it designated Wagner Group as a “significant transnational criminal organization” as part of action targeting dozens of people and entities in an effort to degrade Russia’s ability to wage the war.
“Wagner personnel have engaged in an ongoing pattern of serious criminal activity, including mass executions, rape, child abductions, and physical abuse in the Central African Republic (CAR) and Mali,” the Treasury said in a statement.
The declaration freezes any U.S. assets that Wagner may have and prohibits Americans from providing funds, goods, or services to the group.
Treasury also imposed additional sanctions on Wagner under another executive order, accusing the group of being responsible for or complicit in the targeting of women, children or civilians including through forced displacement, attacks on hospitals and other conduct in relation to the Central African Republic.
Washington also designated other entities it accused of supporting the Wagner Group’s military operations, including Russia-based Joint Stock Company Terra Tech and China-based Changsha Tianyi Space Science and Technology Research Institute Co. LTD, and targeted entities and individuals linked to Russia’s defense industrial…
