U.S. recognized Wagner PMC as a transnational criminal organization

The United States recognized the Russian military formation “PMC Wagner” as a transnational criminal organization.

The U.S. Treasury Department reported that additional sanctions were imposed against the group.

Due to the group’s assistance in the war against Ukraine the U.S. Treasury froze the assets of the Wagner in the United States.

Partners of the group and companies that contribute to the military complex of Russia were also sanctioned – a total of 6 individuals and 12 legal entities.

Thus, United States law allows imposing sanctions against members and structures of transnational criminal organizations.

In particular, freezing any assets of the group in the United States and prohibiting American citizens from providing funds, goods or services for sanctioned persons or companies.

The United States has previously stated that the so-called Wagner PMC received a batch of weapons from North Korea to strengthen Russian forces in Ukraine, which is a sign of the of mercenaries role expansion in the war.

However, the United States believes that the number of weapons from the DPRK will not change the dynamics of hostilities in Ukraine, due to intelligence data.

Such a supply is in direct violation of UN Security Council resolutions.

U.S. National Security Council spokesman John Kirby said that the United States shared its intelligence data on the fact that North Korea was supplying weapons to Russia with an expert group from the UN Security Council Committee on Sanctions against the DPRK.

The United States released recently declassified photos of Russian wagons that were heading back and forth from Russia to North Korea in November 2022. That, according to the United States, was the first supply of weapons for the formation of the Wagner PMC.

Then a White House representative showed satellite images to reporters in Washington, showing that on November 18, five Russian railway cars left Russia for North Korea. The next day, North Korea loaded these railroad wagons, containers, after which the train returned to Russia.