Yevgeny Prigozhin (Photo: AP)

The entities engaged in illicit gold deals to help the militia sustain and expand its armed forces in Ukraine and several countries in Africa, the Treasury said.

The Wagner Group funds its operations in part by exploiting natural resources in the Central African Republic and Mali, according to Under Secretary for Terrorism and Financial Intelligence Brian Nelson.

The US will continue to target the Wagner Group’s revenue streams to degrade its expansion in Africa, Ukraine, and elsewhere, he added.

The Biden administration in January labeled Wagner a transnational criminal organization, and has sought to use sanctions to choke off its financial resources. The Treasury Department sanctioned the head of Wagner’s operations in Mali last month for trying to route weapons through Mali to Ukraine.