Make Vladimir Putin’s Wagner Group warlords a banned terror organisation, demands Labour

VLADIMIR Putin’s warlords — the Wagner Group — should be a banned terror organisation, the Labour Party is demanding.

The band of mercenaries is often described as the Russian president’s private death squad and is accused of slaughtering civilians in Ukraine.

Known for recruiting Nazi thugs and criminals, it acts outside the law and has been fighting in Ukraine since 2014.

But the Russian ministry of defence supplies the group with weapons.

If the UK made it a banned terror group, then it would become a crime to belong to the group, back it or carry its logo publicly.

The call comes after the world marked the first anniversary of Putin’s invasion of Ukraine.

Shadow Home Secretary Yvette Cooper said: “The Wagner Group is responsible for the appalling atrocities in Ukraine and across the world.

“No one in the UK should be allowed to belong to the group, support it or promote it.

“One year on from Putin’s illegal invasion of Ukraine, we need to hold those responsible for supporting its barbaric agenda to account.”

The US banned the group last month.