Lawmakers say the UK should ban Russia’s Wagner as a terrorist group

By JILL LAWLESS
Associated Press

LONDON (AP) — British lawmakers say the U.K. has underestimated the threat posed by the Russian Wagner mercenary group and should ban it as a terrorist organization. The House of Commons Foreign Affairs Committee said Wednesday that the sanctions imposed by Britain on Wagner are “underwhelming” and U.K. authorities have done little to track the network’s activities outside of Ukraine. The committee said: “There are serious national security threats to the U.K. and its allies of allowing the network to continue to thrive.” Wagner has played a key role in fighting in Ukraine, and the committee said it has conducted military operations in countries including Syria, the Central African Republic, Sudan, Libya, Mozambique and Mali.