US Expands Sanctions Against Russian Wagner Group Amid Successful Offensive

 

by Kyle Anzalone | Jan 26, 2023

The US Treasury Department placed Wagner Group, the Russian mercenary company, and several of its affiliates on a blacklist. The move comes as the mercenary force helps the Kremlin capture key cities in eastern Ukraine. 

The Treasury stated the sanctions would “degrade the Russian Federation’s capacity to wage war against Ukraine.” Eight individuals and 16 entities, as well as four aircraft were placed on a blacklist. Secretary of the Treasury Janet L. Yellen said, “today’s expanded sanctions on Wagner, as well as new sanctions on their associates and other companies enabling the Russian military complex, will further impede Putin’s ability to arm and equip his war machine.”

In December, the Joe Biden administration claimed the Wagner Group was leading the assault on Bakhmut, a city in Ukraine’s Donetsk region. In recent days, the Russian forces have made progress in the city. A Ukrainian defense official admitted on Wednesday, “the enemy is increasing pressure on the Bakhmut and Vuhledar areas.”

Yellen claimed the sanctions targeting Moscow were weakening the Kremlin’s war machine. “As sanctions and export controls on Russia from our international coalition continue to bite, the Kremlin is desperately searching for arms and support.” However, the Russian currency remains stronger against the dollar than last February at the time of the invasion. 

Russia is not the only country to use mercenaries to achieve its war goals. The White House used soldiers hired by the firm Blackwater to fight in the Iraq War. In September 2007, mercenaries employed by the private military firm opened fire on Iraqi civilians, killing 17. In December 2020, President Donald Trump pardoned the four men convicted of perpetrating the war crime. 

https://libertarianinstitute.org/news/us-expands-sanctions-against-russian-wagner-group-amid-successful-offensive/

About Kyle Anzalone

Kyle Anzalone is news editor of the Libertarian Institute, opinion editor of Antiwar.com and co-host of Conflicts of Interest with Will Porter and Connor Freeman.