The British government is set to declare the Wagner Group, the Russian mercenary group, a terrorist organisation.
This will mean that it will be illegal to support or be a member of the Wagner Group.
Suella Braverman, the British home secretary, described the Wagner Group as ‘violent and destructive’.
According to the BBC, she also said: ‘Wagner’s continuing destabilising activities only continue to serve the Kremlin’s political goals. They are terrorists, plain and simple – and this proscription order makes that clear in UK law.’
The Wagner Group has supported Russian military action in Ukraine and Syria, and has a presence in a number of African countries.
Earlier this year the organisation launched an abortive putsch against the Russian government.
In addition, its leader, Yevgeny Prigozhin, was killed in a plane crash last month, an incident which many believe was an assassination carried out by the Russian government.
The Wagner Group now joins organisations such as Hamas and Boko Haram as groups which are considered as terrorists by the British government.
Any support of the Wagner Group in the UK could lead to a fine of £5 000 or 14 years in prison.
[Image: Информационное агентство БелТА, https://commons.wikimedia.org/w/index.php?curid=135411030]