Britain Set to Designate Wagner Group as a Terrorist Organization, The Times Reports

The British government is preparing to recognize the Wagner Group as a terrorist organization in the coming weeks. This was reported by The Times on Tuesday evening, citing sources within the British cabinet.

According to these sources, British authorities have been preparing legal justifications for two months to list the Wagner Group among terrorist organizations in order to exert pressure on Russia.

Granting the Wagner Group this status will make it a criminal offense in the UK to belong to the organization, participate in activities organized by it, provide support, or display the group's symbols.

Additionally, financial sanctions could be imposed on the Wagner Group, and its members may be prohibited from filing lawsuits against journalists and human rights defenders in British courts.

In 2021, Wagner's founder, Yevgeny Prigozhin, filed a lawsuit in a British court against Eliot Higgins, the founder of the Bellingcat organization, which is listed in the Russian Ministry of Justice's register of foreign media agents. Prigozhin's Concord company had previously stated that the basis for the lawsuit was Higgins’ tweets regarding Prigozhin’s connections with the Wagner PMC and his involvement in criminal activities.