Latvia: Latvian MP urges OSCE members to designate Wagner as terror group

The chairman of the Foreign Affairs Committee of the Latvian parliament, the Saeima, Rihards Kols (National Alliance), urged member states of the Organization for Security and Co-operation in Europe (OSCE) to designate the Russian private military company, Wagner Group, as a terrorist organisation, LSM reports. Speaking at the OSCE Parliamentary Assembly meeting in Vancouver, Canada, on 2 July 2023, Kols pointed out that Russian President Vladimir Putin admitted that the Russian state had financed Wagner Group for at least a year, which establishes Russia as a state sponsor of terrorism. Kols noted that Wagner Group’s activities are not limited to Ukraine but extend to various conflicts around the world, including Africa and South America. Some countries have already recognised Wagner Group as a terrorist organisation.