Britain’s newly appointed defense secretary says he is “pleased” as Russian mercenary group Wagner is being proscribed today.
Grant Shapps, who took over the post from Ben Wallace last week, said: “When you see the way that they behave, not just in Ukraine, but in other domains like Africa, it's quite clear that they are absolutely ruthless.”
Home Secretary Suella Braverman said 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.”
The government is set to introduce an order in Parliament to proscribe the group under the Terrorism Act. The designation, once approved by lawmakers, will bar membership in or support for Wagner.
Terrorists
Her defense counterpart added: “I'm pleased that the Home Secretary is proscribing them today.”
"Wagner's continuing destabilizing activities only continue to serve the Kremlin's political goals ... They are terrorists, plain and simple – and this proscription order makes that clear in UK law," Braverman added.
“They are terrorists, plain and simple - and this proscription order makes that clear in U.K. law,” she said.
Once proscribed, the mercenary group will join the current list containing terrorist organizations including al-Qaeda, Daesh/ISIS, and the PKK.
'Disrupt' Wagner
The ban will allow U.K. authorities to seize the organization’s assets, though that power is largely symbolic as Wagner is not known to operate in Britain.
The move follows a recommendation by Parliament's Foreign Affairs Committee in July that Wagner be banned. The committee said British authorities had “underplayed and underestimated” the threat posed by the mercenary group.
The Wagner Group was founded in 2014 by Yevgeny Prigozhin, who was killed in a plane crash on Aug. 23. The lawmakers said Britain should take advantage of the confused situation to “disrupt” Wagner.
A preliminary US intelligence assessment concluded the plane was downed by an intentional explosion. The government of Russian President Vladimir Putin has denied involvement.
