Britain is set to classify the Wagner Group as a terrorist organisation in order to increase pressure on Russia.
This would make it a a criminal offence to belong to Wagner, attend its meetings, encourage support for it or carry its logo in public.
The Home Office has been building a case for two months and proscription was “imminent” within weeks, The Times reported, citing a government source.
The designation would also impose financial sanctions on the group, and there would be implications for Wagner’s ability to raise money if any funds went through British financial institutions, the newspaper added.
The move comes as the head of the Russian mercenaries, Yevgeny Prigozhin, has claimed that Vladimir Putin’s troops have started to abandon their positions in Bakhmut.
“Today one of the units of the defence ministry fled from one of our flanks... exposing the front,” Mr Prigozhin said in a video.
The leader’s statement follows a week of emotionally charged threats to withdraw Wagner from the bloody frontline of Bakhmut due to a lack of ammunition.
