Britain to designate Wagner Group as a terrorist organization

Sept. 6 (UPI) -- Britain on Wednesday introduced a plan to designate the Russian mercenary paramilitary Wagner Group as a terror organization.

Home Secretary Suella Braverman presented a draft order that would take effect next week and make it a criminal offense punishable with a prison sentence of up to 14 years to "belong to, encourage support for, assist or use the logo" of the Wagner Group.

"Wagner is a violent and destructive organization which has acted as a military tool of Vladimir Putin's Russia overseas," Braverman said in a statement. "While Putin's regime decides what to do with the monster it created, Wagner's continuing destabilizing activities only continue to serve the Kremlin's political goals."

Braverman said since its founding in 2014, the Wagner Group has been involved in conflicts in Syria, the Central African Republic, Sudan, Libya, Mozambique and Mali, along with Ukraine. She said Wagner has operated purely to support Russia's foreign policy objectives.

"They are terrorists, plain and simple -- and this proscription order makes that clear in U.K. law. Wagner has been involved in looting, torture and barbarous murders. Its operations in Ukraine, the Middle East and Africa are a threat to global security," she said.

The designation plan comes after Wagner founder Yevgeny Prigozhin was killed last month in a mysterious private airplane crash.

The Wagner Group had played a critical role in Russia's initial success in its invasion of Ukraine before Prigozhin led an attempted coup against the Russian military this summer, leading the mercenary group to step back from its role.

Britain's Security Minister Tom Tugendhat said Wagner has carried on "barbaric" acts under the guise of war in Ukraine. He said the Wagner's threat has only increased after the death of Prigozhin.

"Proscribing Wagner sends a clear message that the U.K. will not tolerate Russia's proxies and their barbaric actions in Ukraine and condemns Wagner's campaign of corruption and bloodshed on the African continent which has been repeatedly linked to human rights violations," Tugendhat said.