US to declare Russia's Wagner Army a criminal organization: its mercenaries fighting in Ukraine

The United States will designate Russia's Wagner Group as a criminal organization that fielded mercenaries in the Ukraine war. US National Security Spokesman John Kirby said – Wagner Group has committed atrocities and violated human rights in many places including Ukraine. At present, more than 50 thousand mercenaries of the group are in Ukraine. Wagner Group is also accused of taking arms from North Korea despite international sanctions.
John Kirby told- US Intelligence has evidence of Russian trains entering North Korea. From where she brings rockets and missiles for the Wagner Group. Russia is violating the resolution of the UN Security Council by taking arms from North Korea. We will do everything possible to identify and target Wagner's facilitators.
The White House has announced new sanctions next week on the Wagner Group and its associated networks. According to Kirby, 80 percent of the Wagner Group soldiers deployed in Ukraine have come out of prison.
Just prior to the attack on Ukraine, fighters from this group were carrying out false flag operations in eastern Ukraine to give Russia a pretext to attack. The Wagner Group also helped Russia annex Crimea in 2014. Apart from Ukraine, this group is also deployed in Syria, Libya and the Central African Republic.
A week ago, there was a dangerous battle between the soldiers of the Wagner Group and the Ukrainian army for the occupation of Soledar of Ukraine. The Ukrainian military stated that a large number of Wagner Group soldiers had been killed as they advanced in the open despite the firing.
According to the US, the Wagner Group had fought so fiercely for control of the salt and gypsum mines around Soledar.
This group is challenging the official army of Russia. According to a report in Sunday Guardian Live, Yevgeny Prigogine has set up a military structure equivalent to the army in Belgorod and Kursk, the Russian regions bordering Ukraine. This is also the training facility and recruitment center of the Wagner Army. Because of this, tensions have also increased between Russian army officers and Wagner's founder Yevgeny Prigogine.
Yevgeny Prigogine, the founder of the Wagner Group, is also known as the cook of Russian President Putin. They previously ran a restaurant where Putin often went to eat. He gradually became a close aide of Putin. He started getting contracts worth crores of rupees from the Russian government.
It is Yevgeny who funds the Wagner Group. Earlier he used to deny his relations with this group but in 2022 he admitted that he is associated with it.