US sanctions UAE-based aviation firm with ties to Russia’s Wagner

US sanctions UAE-based aviation firm with ties to Russia’s Wagner

The Biden administration slapped economic sanctions Thursday on a United Arab Emirates-based aviation company for its alleged role in transporting Russia’s Wagner mercenaries to conflict zones abroad.

“The Wagner Group uses Kratol-provided aircraft to move personnel and equipment between the [Central African Republic], Libya and Mali,” the US Treasury Department announced. Wagner operatives have been accused of war crimes in all three of those countries.

Kratol was targeted “for having materially assisted, sponsored, or provided financial, material, logistical, or technological support for, or goods or services in support of, PMC Wagner,” the US statement read.

Al-Monitor reached out to Kratol via WhatsApp, using a phone number provided on the company’s website. The message was seen, but no reply was issued.

The move came amid a slew of other sanctions against Wagner-linked firms and individuals, including Russian defense contractors, alleged Wagner front groups in the Central African Republic and two Russian government officials accused of preparing Moscow’s annexation referendum in Ukraine’s eastern Donbas region last year.

On Thursday the Treasury formally labelled Wagner a “significant transnational criminal organization” after the White House announced the move late last week.

Why it matters: The sanctions on UAE-based Kratol are the latest shot across the bow as Washington seeks to