Italy accuses Wagner’s group of smuggling migrants to retaliate against countries that support Ukraine.
The Italian government has blamed Wagner’s group for a recent surge in migrant boats off Italy as part of the Kremlin’s revenge strategy against Western countries that have backed Ukraine.
“I think it is safe to say that the exponential increase in migration from African shores is a clear strategy of hybrid warfare that the Wagner group is implementing using its considerable influence in some African countries,” the defense minister said. Italy’s Guido Croceto was quoted in a statement Guardian.
It didn’t take long for the mercenary leader to react. In a voicemail published on Telegram, Yevgeny Prigozhin said: “We don’t know what’s happening with the migrant crisis and we don’t care about it.” According to The Guardian, the message urged the Italian government to focus on its own country and included “a series of obscenities” and insults directed at Crocetto.
According to the Italian Interior Ministry, 17,592 migrants have landed in Italy since the start of the year, almost three times the 5,995 who landed in the same period in 2022.
According to the European Border and Coast Guard Agency (Frontex), the number of arrivals via the central Mediterranean increased by 116% in January and February compared to 2022.
The Italian minister’s accusation of “hybrid warfare” echoes statements by the Moldovan government, which it admitted this Monday that Russia is trying to compromise the country’s security through “hybrid warfare” — for example, using disinformation tactics and cyber attacks. “Immediate military danger” is unknown.
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