Days after the Wagner Group abandoned its revolt against the Vladimir Putin administration in Russia, the United States of America imposed sanctions on four companies and an individual allegedly linked to the mercenary outfit.
USA said that the sanctions were not directly related to the recent uprising.
America's Treasury Office targeted 2 mining companies, a firm which conducted gold sales, and a supporting corporation. Andrei Ivanov, a Russian executive in the Wagner Group, also faced sanctions.
The Treasury Office said that the sanctioned firms engaged in illicit gold deals to fund the Wagner Group so it could sustain and expand its armed forces in Ukraine and Africa.
(With PTI inputs)