Proscribing Wagner Network
Government's failure to proscribe the Wagner Network as a terrorist organisation despite it appearing to meet legal criteria.
52 items
1 source
Strongest theme matches
Mixed across source types and ranked by classifier confidence plus text match strength.
Committee recommendation
100match
#28 - Proscribe the Wagner Network as a terrorist organisation, meeting legal criteria.
As a ‘stick’, the Government should proscribe the Wagner Network as a terrorist organisation, recognising that—while there are risks of doing so—there are also risks of failing to do so, when the Network appears to meet the legal criteria. (Paragraph 73) What next?
Matched on
terms: network, wagner
Committee recommendation
83match
#1 - Wagner Network operates globally, undertaking military and non-military operations in many countries since 2014.
The Wagner Network is a collection of individuals and entities linked to Yevgeny Prigozhin and undertaking military, economic, political and influencing operations internationally. It formed in 2014 and began its military activities in Ukraine, where it has had sustained involvement. The network subsequently expanded to several other countries in Africa and the Middle East. It has undertaken offensive...
Matched on
terms: network, wagner
Committee recommendation
82match
#31 - Government under-estimated Wagner Network, lacking strategy, leadership, and joined-up working.
For nearly 10 years, the Government has under-played and under-estimated the Wagner Network’s activities, as well as the security implications of its significant expansion. The Government has not told us anything specific that it is doing to challenge the network’s influence and impunity in countries other than Ukraine, beyond sanctions coordination (which itself appears limited). The Government has...
Matched on
terms: network, wagner
Committee recommendation
82match
#7 - Explicitly state government opposition to countries cooperating with Wagner Network and impose consequences.
We recommend that the Government explicitly states that it opposes the co-operation of any country with the Wagner Network, or future iterations thereof, due to the security threats of the ‘Wagner model’ of business and governance. Where countries can be incentivised not to partner with the network or to re-engage after partnering with it, they should be. National...
Matched on
terms: network, wagner
Committee recommendation
82match
#4 - Wagner Network functions as an international criminal mafia, committing atrocities and plundering resources.
There is a significant gap between perception and capability when it comes to the Wagner Network. Despite the continued belief by some that inviting them into a country will result in benefits, the reality is that regimes pay a high price for working with the Wagner Network. The original outcomes are rarely achieved. During the past 10 years,...
Matched on
terms: network, wagner
Committee recommendation
82match
#24 - Declassify and share intelligence on Wagner Network's destabilising effects with engaging countries.
As the Government improves its intelligence on the network, it should declassify it strategically and share it with countries that are considering engaging with the Wagner Network, to demonstrate the organisation’s destabilising effects, following the lead of the United States administration.
Matched on
terms: network, wagner
Committee recommendation
78match
#5 - Wagner Network's continued growth presents serious national security threats to the UK.
There are serious national security threats to the UK and its allies of allowing the network to continue to thrive, not to mention devastating human consequences, including contributing to the refugee crisis for example, Sudan. (Paragraph 30) Guns for gold: the Wagner Network exposed 53
Matched on
terms: network, wagner
Committee recommendation
78match
#23 - Seize opportunity to deter countries from engaging with Wagner Network using international cooperation.
We recommend that the Government seizes this opportunity and works with international partners to deter countries from engaging with the Wagner Network, using a carrot and stick approach.
Matched on
terms: network, wagner
Committee recommendation
78match
#20 - Committee compiles public Wagner-linked names to aid government understanding of the network.
In the public interest, we have compiled Wagner-linked names that are already a matter of public record, as identified via our commissioned open-source research (see Appendix 2). In doing so, we hope to challenge the mystique that the Wagner Network cultivated in many countries, make it as difficult as possible for it to operate, create a deterrent effect,...
Matched on
terms: network, wagner
Committee recommendation
78match
#14 - UK's Wagner Network sanctioning efforts and allied coordination remain inadequate.
The UK’s efforts to sanction the Wagner Network are underwhelming in the extreme, compared to those of the European Union and the United States. The responses from the Minister leave us with limited confidence that the UK coordinates effectively with its allies to share intelligence on the Wagner Network and to impose sanctions on relevant individuals and entities....
Matched on
terms: network, wagner
Committee recommendation
78match
#13 - Improve intelligence-gathering on Wagner Network activities in more countries and establish a taskforce.
We recommend that the Government improve its intelligence-gathering on the Wagner Network’s activities in a wider range of countries, particularly in the countries where 54 Guns for gold: the Wagner Network exposed we have medium-confidence of attempts at Wagner involvement. This intelligence should make use of network-mapping capabilities. A cross-Government taskforce would be particularly useful as the Wagner...
Matched on
terms: network, wagner
Committee recommendation
78match
#3 - Host governments engage Wagner Network due to perceived security benefits, furthering regime objectives.
Host governments and other non-regime actors must perceive benefits from engaging with the Wagner Network, because they consider it the most effective form of protection and security. There are examples of its fighters furthering a regime’s security objectives, even if this meant neutering political opposition.
Matched on
terms: network, wagner
Committee recommendation
77match
#8 - Government prioritises military support to Ukraine for countering the Wagner Network.
Supporting Ukraine militarily is the Government’s priority when it comes to countering the Wagner Network. We fully support the continued supply of defence assistance and wider support to Ukraine as it fights to liberate itself from Russian illegal occupation. Through this, the UK has enabled Ukrainian Armed Forces to challenge Wagner fighters directly, often resulting in a high...
Matched on
terms: network, wagner
Committee recommendation
77match
#15 - Government's blanket Wagner Group sanctions approach creates enforcement gaps for linked entities.
The Government claimed that its sanctioning of the ‘Wagner Group’ automatically covered all the entities that the Group owns or controls. This approach under- appreciates the complexity of the network. It is also completely unrealistic. It leaves both enforcement agencies and implementing organisations, such as banks, estate agents and other financial services, with no idea which affiliated entities...
Matched on
terms: network, wagner
Committee recommendation
74match
#9 - Focusing solely on Europe for Wagner Network activities is a significant failing.
However, it is a significant failing to see the Wagner Network primarily through the prism of Europe, not least given its geographic spread, the impact of its activities on UK interests further abroad, and the fact that its wealth creation sits largely in Africa.
Matched on
terms: network, wagner
Committee recommendation
74match
#6 - Wagner Network's links to the Russian state confirmed, but countries may still engage.
Over the past year and a half, the Russia-Ukraine war eroded the Wagner Network’s deniability and Prigozhin’s public arguments with the Russian Ministry of Defence confirmed the network’s long-suspected links to the Russian state. The brutality of its fighters in Ukraine is appalling but not atypical. So long as the network survives in some form, we believe that...
Matched on
terms: network, wagner
Committee recommendation
73match
#17 - Expedite and strengthen sanctions against all Wagner-linked individuals and entities, closing enforcement gaps.
We recommend that the Government move faster and harder in sanctioning Wagner- linked individuals and entities. Specifically, it should: (Paragraph 58) (a) Sanction all individuals and entities provided in Appendix 1, which the United States and European Union have already targeted but which the UK has not; (b) Consider bringing forth sanctions on civilian enablers and corporate ‘frontmen’...
Matched on
terms: network, wagner
Committee recommendation
73match
#38 - Identify mechanisms to prosecute the Wagner Network using support to Ukraine's Prosecutor General.
The UK Government should use its significant support to the Office of the Prosecutor General in Ukraine to identify mechanisms to prosecute the Wagner Network. A prosecution in this theatre would serve to help deter the sense of impunity abroad.
Matched on
terms: network, wagner
Committee recommendation
73match
#33 - Assign clear responsibility for Wagner Network and establish cross-government lead on PMCs.
The Government should take a more strategic and coherent approach to addressing the challenges of this network and other proxy ‘PMCs’ by: (Paragraph 84) (a) assigning clear responsibility for the Wagner Network and adjacent ‘PMCs’ to a senior official in the Russia Unit, whose primary job it is to ensure that all levers of government are working together...
Matched on
terms: network, wagner
Committee recommendation
69match
#29 - Wagner Network effectively reconfigures and its activities will continue due to value.
The last decade has shown that the Wagner Network is highly effective at reconfiguring itself. We expect its activities to continue in some form, as they are too valuable, especially financially, to the Russian state to be lost. The question is not just what happens to the Wagner Network but what happens to a wider set of PMCs...
Matched on
terms: network, wagner
Committee recommendation
69match
#2 - Wagner Network is opportunistic but ultimately guided by the Russian state, delivering geopolitical benefits.
The Wagner Network is highly opportunistic and not a straightforward proxy for Russia, even though the Russian state has sometimes directed, facilitated, and supported its military operations, notably in Libya and Ukraine. Even when the network has acted purely in its own economic interests, Russia is likely to have benefited financially or in geopolitical influence from its presence....
Matched on
terms: network, wagner
Committee recommendation
69match
#19 - Prioritise introducing and enforcing travel bans for Wagner-linked individuals, collaborating with Turkey.
We further recommend that the Government prioritises introducing and enforcing travel bans for Wagner-linked individuals as a likely deterrent to involvement in the network, in particular working with Turkey, a popular holiday destination for Russians.
Matched on
terms: network, wagner
Committee recommendation
69match
#12 - No evidence of serious government effort to track Wagner Network activities outside Ukraine.
We have received no evidence of any serious effort by the Government to track the Network’s activities in countries other than Ukraine.
Matched on
terms: network, wagner
Committee recommendation
69match
#10 - Government acknowledges increased importance of understanding Wagner Network's activities.
The Government believes that it is becoming more important to consider the network’s activities, although it did not say where it would do so. In February 2023, the FCDO told us there was now “much more activity” in Government to understand and respond to the network than there had been six months earlier. The Government also said it...
Matched on
terms: network, wagner
Committee recommendation
65match
#22 - Significant opportunity exists to disrupt the Wagner Network amid its uncertain future.
There is an opportunity to disrupt the Wagner Network at a time when its future is uncertain.
Matched on
terms: network, wagner
Committee recommendation
64match
#25 - Offer customised packages of military, aid, and trade support to priority countries.
The Government should offer a genuinely compelling alternative to priority countries in need of investment and security partnership, in collaboration with partners. Priority countries are especially likely to be neighbouring countries to those where the Wagner Network is engaged. A compelling alternative may involve customising packages of military, aid and trade support to specific countries, particularly in the...
Matched on
terms: network, wagner
Committee recommendation
64match
#11 - Government's delayed and limited focus on Wagner beyond Ukraine is regrettable.
The Wagner Network began its activities in 2014. By early 2022, when the Government began to invest greater resource in understanding the network, Wagner fighters had already undertaken military deployments in at least seven countries. It is deeply regrettable that it took this long, and that the Government continues to give so little focus to countries beyond Ukraine....
Matched on
terms: network, wagner
Committee recommendation
64match
#32 - Government lacks knowledge and policy on other malign Private Military Companies.
The Wagner Network is merely the best-known and documented example of a PMC acting deniably on behalf of a state to further its interests and enrich its elites, at the expense of local citizens’ safety and stability in the long term – as well as security and stability in Europe. We are deeply concerned that the Government’s failure...
Matched on
terms: network, wagner
Committee recommendation
61match
#21 - Urgently assess compiled Wagner-linked names and impose sanctions if thresholds are met.
We implore the Government to urgently assess these names and impose sanctions on these individuals and entities if the necessary threshold is met.
Matched on
terms: wagner
Committee recommendation
60match
#34 - Government remains complacent regarding states' malign use of Private Military Companies.
The Government appears remarkably complacent about the growing practice of states using PMCs for malign purposes. Although the expansion of the Wagner Network and the harm it has caused appears to have led to some re-examination of the Government’s approach (paragraph 34), we have no detailed information to understand the Government’s new approach to countering state threats.
Matched on
terms: network, wagner
Committee recommendation
57match
#18 - Establish a regular mechanism for coordinating Wagner-linked sanctions with US and EU partners.
We recommend that the Government establishes a specific and regular mechanism for coordinating with the United States and the European Union over Wagner- linked sanctions; it should report back to us on what these mechanisms are, and how frequently and effectively they are being used.
Matched on
terms: wagner
Committee recommendation
55match
#37 - Set out steps to strengthen international legal framework governing PMCs and accountability.
In its response, the Government should set out the steps that it will take to strengthen the international legal framework governing PMCs’ activities, drawing on the UK’s deep legal expertise. Its response should address the following aspects: (Paragraph 88) 58 Guns for gold: the Wagner Network exposed (i) how the UK will take steps to move forward the...
Matched on
terms: network, wagner
Committee recommendation
52match
#16 - Ministerial knowledge and FCDO-Treasury coordination on Wagner sanctions waivers are insufficient.
The Minister had no specific knowledge of work within his Department to analyse whether Wagner activities undermine the financial impact of UK sanctions on the Russian war machine. Despite finding it “likely”, he could not confirm that the FCDO had had any input to HM Treasury’s unwise decision to issue sanctions waivers to Prigozhin. Despite assuring us that...
Matched on
terms: wagner
Committee recommendation
51match
#39 - Provide evidence base for effectiveness of voluntary Private Military Company regulation model.
The Government should provide the evidence base that leads it to believe in the effectiveness of its mostly voluntary model of PMC regulation. (Paragraph 90) Guns for gold: the Wagner Network exposed 59
Matched on
terms: network, wagner
Committee recommendation
36match
#100 - Unaccompanied children in contingency accommodation highly vulnerable to trafficking and going missing.
Unaccompanied children living in contingency accommodation are particularly vulnerable to being trafficked, or re-trafficked. Between July 2021 and 19 October 2022, there were 391 episodes where children went missing from hotels. This is unacceptable.
Matched on
classifier match
Committee recommendation
35match
#14 - 4th Report - Disinformation diplomacy: How malign actors are seeking to undermine democracy
We call on the Government to implement new targeted financial and travel sanctions on Georgian Dream officials supporting the Foreign Agents Registration Act, Georgian kleptocrats and Georgian media organisation spreading disinformation. These additional designations would significantly increase the cost on those who are seeking to undermine the Georgian people’s desire for a European alignment and signify the UK’s...
Matched on
classifier match
Committee recommendation
35match
#6 - Reinstate full modern slavery policy remit to Safeguarding Minister, removing immigration oversight.
In accordance with the recommendation made by the Organisation for Security and Cooperation in Europe (OSCE) in its 2023 UK country visit report, we urge the Government to withdraw the issue of modern slavery and human trafficking from the Minister for Immigration and reinstate the full remit of human trafficking and modern slavery policy to the Minister for...
Matched on
classifier match
Committee recommendation
32match
#102 - Consider every child missing from home or care as a potential victim of trafficking.
Every child who goes missing from home or care should be considered as a potential victim of trafficking, even if they are subsequently found safe.
Matched on
classifier match
Committee recommendation
31match
#35 - Voluntary model of Private Military Company regulation remains ineffective and detrimental.
The Government continues to rely on a largely voluntary model of PMC regulation. Our predecessor committee conducted a detailed report into the subject of PMCs in 2002. Even then, the risks of a voluntary model were clear, in that it does little to prevent the “activities of disreputable companies” that are “detrimental to the United Kingdom’s interests”. The...
Matched on
classifier match
Committee recommendation
31match
#10 - Unacceptable 18-month vacancy for Independent Anti-Slavery Commissioner breached statutory duty.
We welcome the Home Office’s appointment of a new Independent Anti-Slavery Commissioner (IASC) and look forward to inviting her to speak to us as soon as possible, to understand how she intends to prioritise the prevention of human trafficking—including tackling demand, the prosecution of offenders and the protection of victims. However, it is unacceptable and appears to be,...
Matched on
classifier match
Committee recommendation
31match
#8 - Modern Slavery Unit prioritises Illegal Migration Act over preventing human trafficking.
The Modern Slavery Unit’s outputs, including belated information about its new model for stakeholder engagement (Modern Slavery Stakeholder Forums) is opaque to say the least. We deeply regret that a unit comprising 56 staff has prioritised work on the Illegal Migration Act to the detriment of preventing human trafficking, protecting victims and prosecuting offenders responsible for human trafficking.
Matched on
classifier match
Committee recommendation
31match
#3 - Home Office policy shift hinders modern slavery strategy and victim protection efforts.
The Home Office’s shift in policy focus to irregular migration is also demonstrated by the Government’s long delay in producing a new Modern Slavery Strategy and by the recent transfer of elements of responsibility for modern slavery and human trafficking from the Safeguarding Minister’s portfolio to that of the Immigration Minister.
Matched on
classifier match
Committee recommendation
27match
#7 - Home Office stakeholder engagement on modern slavery legislation remains unacceptably poor.
The Home Office’s approach to stakeholder engagement has been lackadaisical. It has taken the Home Office two years to launch a new formation of stakeholder groups (Modern Slavery Stakeholder Forums), during which time key legislation affecting victims of trafficking has been enacted with minimal or non-existent consultation with key human trafficking stakeholders. This is unacceptable. It is evident...
Matched on
classifier match
Committee recommendation
27match
#5 - Accelerate development of an overhauled Modern Slavery Strategy with child-specific and financial crime actions.
The Home Office, working together with key human trafficking sector partners, criminal justice practitioners and survivors, must accelerate and scale up efforts to develop a new and overhauled Modern Slavery Strategy. This should include actions to address all forms of exploitation, including the increasing prevalence of criminal exploitation of children and adults, and exploitation facilitated by technology. To...
Matched on
classifier match
Committee recommendation
27match
#4 - Treat human trafficking primarily as a protection issue, not an irregular migration concern.
The Home Office and respective public authorities should treat human trafficking as primarily a protection issue and not an irregular migration concern. Future legislation must take account of the legitimate protection and support needs of all victims including UK nationals.
Matched on
classifier match
Committee recommendation
27match
#2 - Prevent Home Office from conflating immigration with human trafficking and modern slavery.
The Home Office must not conflate immigration with human trafficking and modern slavery at the expense of protection of victims of human trafficking.
Matched on
classifier match
Committee recommendation
27match
#36 - Improve understanding of Private Military Companies and provide information on new state threat approach.
The Government should improve its understanding of other PMCs and Private Security Companies (PSCs) connected in particular to Russia and China, and from all states. This is likely to be a growth industry, with more Governments seeking to create PMCs to secure their geopolitical and economic interests. The Government should provide further information on how its new approach...
Matched on
classifier match
Committee recommendation
27match
#22 - Announce a clear zero-tolerance policy for transnational repression and expel offending foreign diplomats.
The Government should have had a policy of zero tolerance of transnational repression. It is unacceptable that this has not been the position up to now. It should now announce a clear policy of zero tolerance of transnational repression and be prepared to expel any foreign diplomats who engage in intimidation of, or physical attacks on, British Citizens...
Matched on
classifier match
Committee recommendation
27match
#1 - Government prioritises irregular migration at the expense of tackling human trafficking.
We are deeply concerned that the Government is prioritising irregular migration issues at the expense of tackling human trafficking. The Government’s de- prioritisation of human trafficking is not reflective of the scale of the threat it poses or the gravity of the crimes involved. As was expressed by several stakeholders, human trafficking and modern slavery is not an...
Matched on
classifier match
Committee recommendation
23match
#103 - Require the Home Office to provide regular updates on progress in finding missing children.
The Committee has previously challenged the Home Office with our concerns that children have gone missing. The Home Office must update the Committee with its progress in finding these children by the end of this year, and we expect to receive regular updates thereafter until the problem is resolved. (Paragraph 303) Human trafficking 83
Matched on
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