Kremlin: US has been 'demonising' Prigozhin's Wagner group for years

The Kremlin on Friday brushed off the United States' designation of the Wagner private military group as a transnational criminal organisation, saying Washington had been "demonising" the group for years without any basis. British defence chiefs said last week that Wagner, founded by Yevgeny Prigozhin, a long-time confidante of President Vladimir Putin, could have recruited up to 50,000 Russians to fight in Ukraine alongside Russia's official armed forces.