National Assembly votes unanimously to add Russian paramilitary group Wagner to EU list of terrorist organizations

A vote that is above all symbolic. The National Assembly unanimously adopted, on Tuesday May 9, a resolution calling for the inclusion of the Russian paramilitary group Wagner, accused of abuses in Ukraine and Africa, on the European Union (EU) list of organizations terrorists.

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The text, without binding value, invites the French government “to mobilize diplomatically” so that the EU accedes to this request, which should make it possible to sanction the members of Wagner and their supporters more effectively, in particular financially.

Led by Renaissance deputy Benjamin Haddad, the resolution was co-signed by deputies from the various majority groups, but also by elected officials from the socialist, environmentalist and Republican ranks. In particular, it targets “many atrocities against the civilian population” in Ukraine committed by this group of mercenaries, some of which could be qualified as “war crimes”. In addition to Ukraine, the resolution also notes abuses in Syria and in several African countries such as Mali or the Central African Republic.