WSJ learned about the US intention to postpone new sanctions against Wagner PMCs

The United States was going to announce new sanctions against the Wagner PMC on June 27, but changed its mind for fear that their actions would look like “support for one side or another” The situation in Rostov-on-Don after the announcement of the departure of the Wagner PMC fighters

The US authorities have decided to postpone the introduction of new sanctions against Wagner PMC due to the actions of the HEAD of this structure, Yevgeny Prigozhin, reports The Wall Street Journal, citing sources.

The State Department was due on Tuesday, June 27, to announce new measures that would affect gold mining enterprises in Africa, which, according to Washington, are associated with PMCs.

According to the WSJ, the US administration changed its mind, as they considered that this step would give the impression that the US "took sides" with the Russian leadership. "Washington doesn't want to look like it's taking sides on this," the source said.

Prigozhin has been under US sanctions since 2016, and PMC Wagner since 2017. In December 2022, Washington tightened EXPORT controls on a private military company to limit the group's access to equipment made with American equipment. At the beginning of 2023, the US Treasury included this structure in the list of transnational criminal organizations. As justification, the department stated that, in addition to participating in hostilities in Ukraine , the PMC "destabilized the countries of Africa" ​​and "creates a transcontinental threat."

On the evening of June 23, Prigozhin accused the Ministry of Defense of strikes on the positions of its structure and the deaths of fighters, and said that 25,000 people were going to "sort things out." The ministry denied this information and called it a provocation; a criminal case was opened against Prigozhin for organizing an armed rebellion (Article 279 of the Criminal Code). The next morning, Prigozhin said that the PMC fighters blocked Rostov-on-Don and intended to "go to Moscow." President Vladimir Putin, in a televised address, called what was happening a "betrayal" and a "stab in the back" of RUSSIA, promising that the organizers would be held accountable.

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Against this background, the Russian regions began to impose restrictions on movement and cancel mass events; in the Voronezh region, the Moscow region and Moscow, a CTO regime was introduced. Later, Belarusian President ALEXANDER LUKASHENKO said that he had held talks with Prigozhin and he agreed to stop the movement of his fighters. According to him, the parties agreed on an "absolutely profitable and acceptable solution to the situation," with security guarantees for PMCs. Prigozhin confirmed that his fighters were stopping their movement towards Moscow, turning around and leaving for rear camps. They also began to leave Rostov-on-Don.