US expands sanctions on Russia’s ‘brutal’ Wagner Group

By MATTHEW LEE
AP Diplomatic Writer

WASHINGTON (AP) — The Biden administration is expanding sanctions against Russia’s Wagner Group and related companies and individuals for their role in the war in Ukraine and mercenary activities, including human rights abuses, in Africa. The Treasury and State departments announced the move in coordinated statements on Thursday that target dozens of Wagner Group affiliates. The sanctions freeze any assets those identified may have in U.S. jurisdictions and bar Americans from conducting business with them. The announcements re-designate the Wagner Group, which is owned by a close associate of Russian President Vladimir Putin, as a “significant transnational criminal organization.” The firm had already been identified as such but the re-designations expand the sanctions.