US sanctions after 'transnational criminal state' on Russia's Wagner plaque

The United States has imposed sanctions on a Chinese company accused of providing satellite images of Ukraine to the Russian mercenary Wagner group.

The British media BBC reported that the US Treasury Department imposed this ban on the Changsha Tianyi Space Science and Technology Research Institute. The company, also known as Space China, has offices in Beijing and Luxembourg.

The Wagner group is fighting on behalf of Russian forces in Ukraine. Apart from this, they have activities in Syria, Libya, Central African Republic and other places.

According to John Kirby, approximately 80 percent of the Wagner Group's members deployed to Ukraine are released from prison. He said the group has become a rival to Russia's regular army. The United States believes that tensions between Wagner founder Yevgeny Prigozhin and Russian officials are rising. Businessman Prigozhin is known to be close to Russian President Vladimir Putin.

United States

• Intelligence images show Russian rail cars entering North Korea. It is believed that they are collecting rockets and missiles from there, which are later used by members of the Wagner Group. The US official said, 'Finding, identifying, targeting and tracking those who are aiding and abetting the Wagner Group. We will continue to work on the shutdown.''

Note that the Wagner Group is a private military contractor group with close ties to the Kremlin, who pay to fight for the Russian military. A large part of this force is currently fighting in parts of Ukraine and is also deployed in Libya, Syria, and several countries in Africa.

 White House

• According to estimates, Wagner, controlled by Yevgeny Prigozhin, a businessman close to Russian President Vladimir Putin, has about 50,000 fighters in Ukraine, 80 percent of whom were recruited from Russian prisons. The organization played an important role in Russia's war effort and was heavily involved in the attempt to capture Bakhmut, a city in eastern Ukraine.