Treasury imposes sanctions against Russian paramilitary firm Wagner Group - CNBC

WASHINGTON – The Biden medication connected Thursday announced a slew of caller sanctions and further measures targeting Russia's backstage subject firm, the Wagner Group, saying it's engaged successful an "ongoing signifier of superior transgression activity" successful Ukraine, the Central African Republic and Mali.

The Treasury Department identified the Wagner Group, led by Putin crony Yevgeny Prigozhin, arsenic a "significant transnational transgression organization."

In the Central African Republic and Mali, Treasury said "Wagner unit person engaged successful an ongoing signifier of superior transgression activity, including wide execution, rape, kid abductions and carnal abuse." It besides stands accused of destabilizing governments successful Africa and targeting women, children and different civilians successful Ukraine, attacking schools and hospitals and forcibly relocating civilians, among different quality rights violations.

Last week, National Security Council spokesperson John Kirby told reporters astatine the White House that U.S. quality estimates bespeak the Wagner Group has astatine slightest 50,000 unit successful Ukraine, astir of them recruited for the combat from Russian prisons.

"Our connection to immoderate institution that is considering providing enactment to Wagner is simply this, Wagner is simply a transgression enactment that is continuing wide atrocities and quality rights abuses," Kirby added.

Kirby besides slammed North Korean limb deliveries to Russia utilized by Wagner, including infantry rockets and missiles. 

Thursday's sanctions connected six individuals and 12 entities besides people "the infrastructure that supports battlefield operations successful Ukraine, including producers of Russia's weapons and those administering Russian-occupied areas of Ukraine."

Treasury sanctioned Rustam Nurgaliyevich Minnikhanov, the Russian president of the already-sanctioned Tupolev Public Joint Stock Company, for his enactment successful supporting Moscow's aerospace sector. His wife, Gulsina Akhatovna Minnikhanova was besides designated for being the superior registered proprietor of astir of Minnikhanov's properties and accepting bribes.

Treasury besides announced sanctions against companies affiliated with Russia's defence concern complex:

• Russian cargo hose JSC Aviacon Zitotrans for transporting subject instrumentality similar rockets, chopper parts and warheads.
• Ural Civil Aviation Factory for repairing unmanned aerial vehicles utilized successful Russia's warfare successful Ukraine.
• Russian shaper Almaz-Antey for its enactment processing anti-missile and anti-aircraft systems.

Additionally, Treasury is imposing sanctions connected aggregate entities and individuals progressive successful the paramilitary group's colossal planetary network.

• Joint Stock Company Terra Tech, a Russian-based exertion firm, for providing abstraction and aerial imagery to the Wagner Group.
• China's Changsha Tianyi Space Science and Technology Research Institute and its subsidiary Spacety Luxembourg for providing radar outer imagery implicit Ukrainian locations.
• Joint Stock Company Research and Production, a Russian abstraction institution supporting Russia's subject activities successful Ukraine.

"As sanctions and export controls connected Russia signifier our planetary conjugation proceed to bite, the Kremlin is desperately searching for arms and enactment — including done the brutal Wagner Group," Treasury Secretary Yellen wrote successful a connection announcing the measures.

"Today's expanded sanctions connected Wagner, arsenic good arsenic caller sanctions connected their associates and different companies enabling the Russian subject complex, volition further impede Putin's quality to limb and equip his warfare machine," she added.

Further, the State Department issued sanctions against 1 idiosyncratic and 4 entities associated with already-designated Russian Oligarch Vladimir Potanin.

State is besides designating Sergei Adonev, a Putin financier, arsenic good arsenic flagging 2 of his yachts and 1 craft arsenic blocked property.

In addition, State announced steps to enforce visa restrictions connected 531 members of the Russian subject for their relation successful Ukraine.

"The United States is steadfast successful our resoluteness against Russia's aggression and different destabilizing behaviour worldwide," Secretary of State Antony Blinken wrote successful a statement.

"Today's designations volition further impede the Kremlin's quality to limb its warfare instrumentality that is engaged successful a warfare of aggression against Ukraine, and which has caused unconscionable decease and destruction," helium added.