Lithuania recognizes russia’s Wagner PMC as terrorist organization

The Seimas of Lithuania recognized the russian "Wagner" private military company as a terrorist organization, having adopted a resolution in this regard.

The BNS agency reports this.

According to the media, 117 members of the Seimas voted unanimously for the resolution.

In the resolution adopted on March 14, the russian "Wagner" private military company is recognized as a terrorist organization. Accordingly, its members and mercenaries threaten the state's and society's security.

At the same time, the Lithuanian parliament strongly condemned the use of any mercenary groups, such as "Wagner," created with the support of the russian authorities, to commit crimes of aggression in Ukraine.

"Since the beginning of the russian federation's invasion of Ukraine on February 24, 2022, the military personnel of the russian federation and mercenaries of Wagner Private Military Company, which is actively involved in hostilities on the side of the aggressor, have been committing serious systematic crimes of aggression – killing and torturing the civilian population of Ukraine, bombarding residential buildings and other civilians objects, which is equivalent to terrorism," the adopted document emphasizes.

In the Seimas' resolution, it is emphasized that the "Wagner" PMC, founded by Yevgeny Prigozhin, who is close to the president of the russian federation, is a shadow tool of the russian government.

Such companies are increasingly being used by russia in military conflicts, stressed Lauryns Kaschyunas, one of the initiators of the resolution.

"The just-presented public threat assessment of our Lithuanian intelligence services claims that such private military and security companies may be able to conduct limited operations against Lithuania," the politician said.

The adopted resolution called on other countries to recognize the russian "Wagner" PMC as a terrorist organization.

The Seimas also emphasizes the need for Lithuania to adopt a law on the prevention of terrorism, which provides for specific criteria based on which the government or an institution authorized by it will approve the list of terrorist organizations, as well as the sanctions defined in the current laws.

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The russian Wagner private military company has taken an active part in russia's war against Ukraine, especially fighting for cities in the East of Ukraine, namely the cities of Soledar and Bakhmut.

The Wagner PMC received permission to recruit convicts in prisons in russia and the temporarily occupied territories of Ukraine.

Earlier, Reuters informed that Wagner PMC had suffered more than 30,000 casualties since russia's invasion of Ukraine on February 24.

On January 26, the US Treasury Department recognized russia's PMC Wagner as a transnational criminal organization and imposed new sanctions against it and its supporters.

The Ukrainian Parliament recognized the Wagner private military company as an international criminal organization on February 6.