By Burc Eruygur
ISTANBUL (AA) - The Kremlin said on Monday that the decision of the US to classify Wagner Group as a “transnational criminal organization” is unlikely to affect Russia or the group itself.
“I don’t think that this has any practical significance for our country, or even more so for PMC (private military company) Wagner,” Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov said during a press briefing.
US National Security Council spokesperson John Kirby told reporters on Friday that, in addition to the Treasury Department's decision to label Wagner Group as a "significant transnational criminal organization," the Biden administration will impose economic penalties on the organization and its "support network" next week.
Known as a Russian private military company, Wagner Group reportedly operates in Ukraine, Syria, Libya, and other African countries, including Mali and the Central African Republic.
It is believed to have played an extensive role in the ongoing Moscow-Kyiv war, as well as in the annexation of Crimea in 2014.
The group has also been targeted in the raft of sanctions imposed on Russia by Western countries over the Ukraine war. Moscow, however, denies any link to the group.