Treasury to designate Wagner transnational criminal group

By AAMER MADHANI
Associated Press

WASHINGTON (AP) — The U.S. Treasury Department will impose additional sanctions on the Russian private military company, the Wagner Group, that has been aiding Russia’s military in its ongoing invasion of Ukraine. White House National Security Council spokesman John Kirby announced Friday that Treasury will designate Wagner as a significant transnational criminal organization in the coming days. The White House also released images of Russia taking delivery of an arms shipment from North Korea that it said was intended to help bolster Wagner forces as they fight side-by-side with Russian troops in Ukraine. The White House has increasingly expressed alarm about Wagner’s growing involvement in the war as it has been particularly active in the intense fighting in Bakhmut in eastern Ukraine.