UK blacklists mercenary groups in Africa in latest sanctions against Russia

‘Strikes at heart of Putin’s war machine’ also target people involved in Ukraine war and Salisbury nerve agent attack.

The United Kingdom has announced dozens of new sanctions against Russia, targeting African mercenary groups backed by Moscow and people involved in the Ukraine war and a nerve agent attack on British soil.

The Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office on Thursday announced 56 new designations against individuals and entities, which it said target Russia’s military industrial complex and “further restrict the supply of vital military equipment” that Russian President Vladimir Putin requires in Ukraine.

Entities based in China, Turkey and Central Asia were targeted for the alleged supply and production of goods such as machine tools, microelectronics and components for drones.

Three private mercenary groups, including the Wagner Group’s successor Africa Corps and “11 individuals associated with Russian proxies” were sanctioned as well.

“These targets have direct links to the Kremlin, have threatened peace and security in Libya, Mali and the Central African Republic, and have committed widespread human rights abuses across the continent,” the Foreign Office said.

The UK noted it has now become the first Group of Seven (G7) country to directly sanction Africa Corps, which it said is “responsible for threatening stability and security across Africa”.

Denis Sergeev, a Russian intelligence agent, was also listed after he was allegedly involved in the use of a Novichok nerve agent in the English city of Salisbury that poisoned Russian double agent Sergei Skripal and his daughter Yulia in 2018.

The Foreign Office called this the largest package of sanctions imposed by the UK since May 2023.

Over the past month, the UK has introduced multiple rounds of sanctions against Russia, including designations targeting its shipping, alleged use of chemical weapons and cyberactivities.

“Today’s measures will continue to push back on the Kremlin’s corrosive foreign policy, undermining Russia’s attempts to foster instability across Africa and disrupting the supply of vital equipment for Putin’s war machine and smashing the illicit international networks that Russia has worked so hard to forge,” Foreign Secretary David Lammy said.

The sanctions were imposed as Russia has been trying to expand its footprint in Africa as the war with Ukraine drags on, especially in the western parts of the continent and in the Sahel region.

The United States and France have been gradually withdrawing soldiers and weapons from the region as local governments object to their presence amid ongoing violence from armed groups.