The European Union imposed sanctions against PMC "Wagner" and RIA "FAN"

The EU explained that the sanctionsagainst PMC "Wagner" and RIA "FAN" were introduced because of "threats to the territorial integrity, sovereignty and independence of Ukraine." In particular,

The European Union has imposed sanctions against the PMC "Wagner" and the Federal News Agency (RIA "FAN"), according to the official journal of the EU.

Thus, sanctions against PMC "Wagner" were introduced, since its fighters are participating in a military operation against Ukraine. “The Wagner Group is responsible for supporting actions that undermine and threaten the territorial integrity, sovereignty and independence of Ukraine,” the document says.

RIA "FAN" was blacklisted by the EU due to the fact that the agency's board is headed by the founder of PMC "Wagner" Yevgeny Prigozhin, and also because of the propaganda of military operations and the "Wagner" group. The EU believes that in this way the news agency "threatens the territorial integrity, sovereignty and independence of Ukraine."

The Foreign Affairs Council of the European Union imposed sanctions against PMCs back in 2021: the company's assets in the EU were subject to freezing, and European companies were forbidden to cooperate with it in any form. The new sanctions were introduced in accordance with EU regulation No. 269/2014 and are directed against individuals or companies that “threaten the territorial integrity of Ukraine.” Restrictions include:

freezing assets in the EU; a ban on any funding of the list members; participation directly or indirectly in any activity with the aim of circumventing sanctions measures; informing EU members of possible violations by sanctioned companies and individuals.

PMC Wagner  is a Russian private military company founded by Yevgeny Prigozhin in 2014. Its fighters are actively involved in the conflict in Ukraine, as Prigozhin himself and the Russian Defense Ministry have repeatedly reported.

Mercenary activity in RUSSIA is prohibited by law: for participation in armed conflicts on the territory of another country, the Criminal Code provides for up to seven years in prison (Article 359 of the Criminal Code), for recruiting, training, financing a mercenary, “as well as his use in an armed conflict or hostilities” - up to 15 years in prison. There are no other laws regulating the sphere of PMCs in Russia.

The Federal News Agency  is a Russian online publication founded in May 2014. RIA "FAN" and part of the portals close to it were associated with the so-called "troll factory": the first editorial offices were located on the street. Savushkina, 55, in St. Petersburg , wrote RBC in 2016.

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Prigozhin himself has been under US sanctions (since 2016), CANADA (since February last year) and the European Union (since last April), the Wagner PMC founded by him has been under US sanctions (since 2017). In February, the EU imposed sanctions against 11 individuals and seven entities "associated" with the company.

In turn, the United States tightened EXPORT controls on PMCs last December, and at the end of last January, the US Treasury Department recognized the Wagner Group as a transnational criminal organization. Prigozhin then said that now "finally the Wagner PMC and the Americans are colleagues." “From now on, our relationship can be called “dismantling of criminal clans,” he said.

At the same time, the White House refuses to recognize the Wagner PMC as a terrorist group, although the US Congress insists on this, wrote The Hill. The newspaper, citing an unnamed congressman aide, notes that Washington opposes the recognition of Wagner PMC as a terrorist organization, since such actions could interfere with US interests in Africa.