WASHINGTON, June 27 (Reuters) - The United States on Tuesday imposed sanctions on companies in the United Arab Emirates, Central African Republic and Russia, accusing them of illicit gold dealings to fund Russia's Wagner Group mercenary force.
"The Wagner Group funds its brutal operations in part by exploiting natural resources in countries like the Central African Republic and Mali.
The Wagner Group did not immediately respond to the U.S. allegations.
The U.S. State Department ahead of the announcement said that the action against Wagner was unrelated to an aborted mutiny last weekend.
Reporting by Daphne Psaledakis, Humeyra Pamuk and Costas Pitas; editing by Jonathan Oatis and Grant McCoolOur Standards: The Thomson Reuters Trust Principles.
Persons:
Russia's, Yevgeny Prigozhin, Wagner, Brian Nelson, Vladimir Putin, Diamville, Andrey Nikolayevich Ivanov, Midas Ressources, Daphne Psaledakis, Humeyra Pamuk, Costas Pitas, Jonathan Oatis, Grant McCool
Organizations:
United Arab, Russia's Wagner Group, U.S . Treasury Department, Wagner Group, Central African, Terrorism, Financial Intelligence, U.S . State Department, Russia, Industrial, Trading, United, Wagner, Treasury, Industrial Resources, Thomson
Locations:
United States, United Arab Emirates, Central African Republic, Russia, U.S, Ukraine, Africa, Mali, Libya, Syria, Ukraine's Crimea, Donbas, African Republic, Dubai, Saharan Africa, Washington, Russian