Paris/London/Moscow – Steps have been initiated to declare Russia’s private military company “Wagner Group”, which is an active participant in the conflict in Ukraine, as a terrorist. It has been reported that the European Union (EU) and the UK have taken the initiative for this, and the French Parliament has also approved a resolution in this regard. European countries Lithuania and Estonia had previously declared the ‘Wagner Group a terrorist organisation.
Wagner Group is a private military company founded by Yevgeny Prigozhin, a close aide of Russian President Vladimir Putin. Ex-servicemen and officers of the Russian Army are part of this company. At the same time, many foreign nationals are also said to have joined this company. Western countries are accusing the ‘Wagner Group’ of being a group that implements Putin’s policies.
The last few months have seen the ‘Wagner Group’ increasing involvement in various African countries. It includes countries like Mali, Sudan, Mozambique, Libya, Central African Republic. European countries and the United States have repeatedly raised their voices in this regard, and warnings have also been issued to African countries. However, African countries have ignored it and stated the reason as necessary assistance taken for security.
But the West is unhappy with Russia’s increasing interference in Africa and other countries through the ‘Wagner Group’. The US and the European Union have previously imposed sanctions on the ‘Wagner Group’. However, since this action was insufficient, they have initiated steps to declare it a terrorist organisation directly. Previously, when sanctions were imposed, the Russian government disclosed that it had no connection with the “Wagner Group”. Nevertheless, analysts claim that after identifying the group as a terrorist, an aggressive reaction may emerge from Russia.
The British daily ‘The Times’ reported that the British Home Office has prepared a proposal to declare the ‘Wagner Group’ as a terrorist group, and the final decision will be taken in the next few days.
