US blasts Russian Wagner Group's activities in Serbia

BELGRADE, Serbia

A senior US diplomat has voiced condemnation of the Russian mercenary Wagner Group and its activities in the Balkan nation of Serbia.

"We have seen that the Wagner Group is seeking to recruit soldiers from Serbia and elsewhere, and that's something we think cannot stand," said State Department Counselor Derek Chollet on Thursday after meeting Serbian President Aleksandar Vucic in the capital Belgrade.

At the end of a mini-Balkan tour, Chollet said that the Wagner Group is involved in deplorable activities around the world, whether it is in Libya, the Central African Republic, or in Ukraine.

"We talked about our concerns and we are looking forward to working with the government here in Belgrade and elsewhere where Wagner is active to put an end to their activities," said Chollet.

He urged Serbia, a country with deep ties with Russia of ethnicity and faith, to impose sanctions on Moscow.

"Russia's actions not only have to be condemned, they have to be punished," said Chollet.

Russia’s Wagner Group announced in December that it had opened a cultural center in Belgrade.

According to a statement, the Orly Center works to confront Russian liberals who fled Serbia and are working against Moscow.

Wagner has played an extensive role in the war in Ukraine, as well as in the 2014 annexation of Ukraine’s Crimea region.

In 2020, Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan decried Wagner mercenaries fighting in Libya in support of Khalifa Haftar, a warlord who has fought Libya’s legitimate government and undermined efforts for peace and unity there.