The government said it would introduce a bill in parliament that, if passed, would make it illegal to belong to or support the group. The ordinance would also allow the government to seize Wagner’s assets.
Interior Minister Suella Braverman said Wagner “is involved in robbery, torture and barbaric murder. Their operations in Ukraine, the Middle East and Africa pose a threat to global security.”
Wagner was involved in Russia’s war in Ukraine, and in June their leader Yevgeny Prigozhin staged a brief rebellion against the Russian army.
Prigogine died in a plane crash last month.
Britain has already imposed sanctions on the Wagner group and Prigogine.
Kremlin: The Wagner Group does not legally exist
The Kremlin said on Wednesday that the Wagner mercenary group does not exist from a legal point of view, after a request for comment on the British decision.
Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov told reporters:
“There is nothing to comment on. Perhaps it can only be added that, legally speaking, such a group does not exist”.
The report used some information from AP and Reuters.
