UK designating Wagner Group as 'terrorist organization,' premier confirms

By Burak Bir

LONDON (AA) - The UK is designating the Russian mercenary Wagner Group a banned "terrorist organization," the British premier confirmed on Wednesday.

Prime Minister Rishi Sunak has confirmed that Britain is banning the Russian mercenary group Wagner "today," meaning it will be illegal to be a member or to support the group.

"It’s right that today we are proscribing the group for what it is – a terrorist organisation," he said on X, formerly known as Twitter.

Accusing the group of committing "torture, theft and barbarism," Sunak stated that through such actions it is "threatening democracy and freedom around the world."

Early Wednesday, Ben Wallace, the UK's newly appointed defense secretary, said that he is "pleased" by the move.

UK Home Secretary Suella Braverman said late Tuesday that Wagner is "violent and destructive," according to local media reports, including a report by the BBC.

"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," she added.

The group's name will now be added to the country's list of banned terrorist groups or organizations.

Last month, citing government insiders, the Financial Times reported that the UK would proscribe the Wagner Group as a terrorist organization "within weeks" as part of a fresh crackdown on the Russian mercenary network.

The Wagner Group was founded in 2014 by Yevgeny Prigozhin, who died in a plane crash on Aug. 23. This June the group staged a short-lived rebellion against the Russian government, marching towards Moscow before it turned its troops around.