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US sanctions head of Wagner Group in Mali

WASHINGTON, May 25 (KUNA) -- The US Department of the Treasury's Office of Foreign Assets Control (OFAC) on Thursday sanctioned Ivan Aleksandrovich Maslov (Maslov), the head of Russian Private Military Company 'Wagner' (Wagner Group) paramilitary units and its principal administrator based in Mali.
The Wagner Group and its leader, Yevgeniy Viktorovich Prigozhin, are sanctioned under multiple authorities, including for support of Russia's war against Ukraine, according to a statement from the Treasury Dept.
The Wagner Group may be attempting to obscure its efforts to acquire military equipment for use in Ukraine, including by working through Mali and other countries where it has a foothold. The United States opposes efforts by any country to assist Russia through the Wagner Group, the statement noted.
Maslov has worked in close coordination with Malian government officials to execute the Wagner Group's deployment in Mali. In his role as the Wagner Group's principal administrator, Maslov has secured living accommodations for the Wagner Group's incoming forces deployed to Mali.
Maslov arranges meetings between Prigozhin and government officials from several African nations. He has worked to carry out the Wagner Group's interests in the extractive sector, it added. (end) rsr.gb