Question to the Home Office:

To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, whether her Department has made an assessment of the potential merits of designating (a) all private military organisations fighting on behalf of the Russian government in Ukraine and (b) their financial backers as terrorist organisations.

Whilst the Government keeps the list of proscribed organisations under review, we do not routinely comment on whether an organisation is or is not under consideration for proscription.

The Government remains concerned about Russia's use of private military companies such as the Wagner Group. We take the provision of mercenaries and other military support to parties in conflicts such as Libya, Syria, Ukraine and elsewhere very seriously. We continue to work closely with our international partners to counter Russian malign activity and respond to actions that undermine the rules based international system.

Both individuals and entities can be designated under the Sanctions and Anti-Money Laundering Act 2018. Our package of sanctions in support of Ukraine targets those aiding Russia’s invasion of Ukraine. Yevgeniy Prigozhin, the owner and financier of Wagner Group, Wagner Group (as an entity), and several senior members of Wagner Group are subject to UK sanctions, both for their involvement in the Libyan civil war which contravened the United Nations arms embargo established by UNSC Resolution 1970 (2011); and for being engaged in actions or policies that destabilise Ukraine, or threaten its territorial integrity, sovereignty, or independence. Figures released by the Office of Financial Sanctions Implementation in November 2022 reveal that over £18 billion of Russian assets have been frozen since the most recent invasion of Ukraine.