The U.S. Treasury Department on Tuesday imposed sanctions on multiple companies accused of using illicit gold sales to help fund Russia’s Wagner mercenary group.
Treasury said in an announcement on June 27 that it had sanctioned four companies in the Central African Republic (CAR), United Arab Emirates (UAE), and Russia, accusing the entities of engaging in illegal gold dealings to fund Wagner operations and expand the group’s armed forces.
One individual, Wagner executive Andrey Nikolayevich Ivanov, has also been sanctioned for allegedly facilitating mining and weapons deals in Mali on behalf of Wagner chief Yevgeny Prigozhin.
“Treasury’s sanctions disrupt key actors in the Wagner Group’s financial network and international structure,” Under Secretary of the Treasury for Terrorism and Financial Intelligence Brian E. Nelson said in a statement….