Source · Select Committees · Foreign Affairs Committee
Recommendation 7
7
Accepted
Explicitly state government opposition to countries cooperating with Wagner Network and impose consequences.
Recommendation
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 governments that collude with the Wagner Network to breach UN sanctions, or that take no steps to protect their populations from Wagner- perpetrated atrocity crimes, should face financial and diplomatic consequences, where appropriate. (Paragraph 32) Responses to the Wagner Network
Government Response Summary
The government agrees with the recommendation, stating it has a dedicated team and Senior Official coordinating its response to Wagner and driving international cooperation. It outlines ongoing efforts, including monitoring activities, collecting evidence, and addressing conflict-related sexual violence through its 2022 PSVI strategy, and confirms the HMG Russia Unit will continue to coordinate efforts to counter Wagner.
Government Response
Accepted
HM Government
Accepted
Agree. 30. We have a team dedicated to coordinating the Government’s response to the cross- cutting challenge posed by Wagner Group and Russian use of PMSCs as proxies. This team is also focused on driving forward international cooperation on the issue. Responsibility for this work is assigned to a specific Senior Official in the HMG Russia Unit, accountable to departments through the HMG Russia Strategy. 31. The team does not sit under the Office for Conflict Stabilisation & Mediation (OCSM), but works with and alongside OCSM. OCSM (which is part of the FCDO rather than the Cabinet Office) is responsible for developing new approaches to reduce conflict and instability, minimising the opportunities for state and non-state actors to undermine our interests. OCSM capability therefore focuses on providing analysis and advice on the enablers and drivers of conflict, including conflict actors, such as PMSCs. This includes monitoring activities of groups like Wagner, capturing evidence to inform our response to conflict, exploring how PMSCs impact conflict dynamics and peace dialogues, and working with partners to build resilience to counter vulnerabilities that conflict actors might exploit. Given reports of Wagner committing conflict-related sexual violence in Ukraine, CAR and Mali, our efforts under the Preventing Sexual Violence Initiative (PSVI) focus on strengthening justice and accountability for survivors. For example, in Ukraine, we are supporting the Office of the Prosecutor General to investigate and prosecute these crimes in a survivor- centric manner more effectively. The Government will continue to monitor the situation and address it through delivery of our PSVI strategy, which was launched in 2022. 32. OCSM’s work is important in building the UK’s understanding of conflict and how to resolve the problems posed by entities such as Wagner. But HMG Russia Unit will continue to co-ordinate efforts to constrain and counter Wagner Group and other Russian proxy PMSCs given their relationship with the Russian state. DISRUPTION