UK officially declares Russia's mercenary group Wagner a "terrorist organisation"
By Sunita Iyer | First Published Sep 15, 2023, 6:08 PM ISTThe UK Government designation takes effect immediately, and membership in the Wagner Group or active support for the organisation will now be deemed a criminal offence in Britain. Individuals convicted of such offences may be jailed for up to 14 years.
Britain on Friday formally designated the Russian mercenary outfit, Wagner Group, as a 'terrorist organisation', a week after it noted that the entity is 'violent and destructive in nature'. Following an order tabled in Parliament on September 6, the Russian mercenary group was officially labelled as a terrorist organisation from September 15.
The UK Government designation takes effect immediately, and membership in the Wagner Group or active support for the organisation will now be deemed a criminal offence in the United Kingdom. Individuals convicted of such offences may be jailed for up to 14 years.
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In a statement, the Home Office stated, "The Russian mercenary organisation, Wagner Group, has been proscribed as a terrorist organisation today (15th September) after an order was laid in Parliament on Wednesday (6th September)."
"This order comes into force with immediate effect and will make belonging to the Wagner Group or actively supporting the group in the UK a criminal offence, with a potential jail sentence of 14 years which can be handed down alongside or in place of a fine. The Wagner Group has now been added to the list of proscribed organisations in the UK, alongside 78 other organisations," the statement added.
"BANNED. It is now a criminal offence to belong to, support, fund or promote the Wagner Group," noted the Home Office on X, formerly known as Twitter.
"The Wagner Group declared a terrorist organisation. Russia's use of terrorist groups will not go unpunished," the X further stated in its post.
BANNED 📢
It is now a criminal offence to belong to, support, fund or promote the Wagner Group. pic.twitter.com/bqBNsPqyoQ
The announcement from UK Home Office comes a week after Home Secretary Suella Braverman had said, "Wagner is a violent and destructive organisation which has acted as a military tool of Vladimir Putin’s Russia overseas.". She added, "They are terrorists, plain and simple."
In part, the UK’s decision responds to Ukraine’s President Volodymyr Zelenskyy’s request to treat Wagner mercenaries as terrorists, the Home Office further stated last week.
In late June, Yevgeny Prigozhin, the head of the Wagner Group, led his troops from eastern Ukraine back into Russia, presenting the most significant challenge to President Vladimir Putin's authority in over two decades.
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