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On Monday, Italy’s defense minister charged that Russia’s Wagner mercenary group was encouraging irregular migration to Europe as retaliation against nations like his that support Ukraine.
Guido Crosetto said in a press release, “The exponential rise in migration from the coasts of Africa is also, to a large extent, part of a clear hybrid warfare strategy that the Wagner division is implementing by using its significant weight in some African countries.”
“The EU, NATO, and the West should now comprehend that the southern European front is also becoming more dangerous by the day, just as they have realized that cyber attacks are a part of the global confrontation that the war in Ukraine opened up.”
He said that “uncontrolled and continuous immigration… is becoming a way to hit the most exposed countries, especially Italy, and their geostrategic choices.”
According to statistics from the interior ministry, more than 20,000 migrants have arrived on Italian soil so far this year, compared to about 6,000 during the same time in 2022 and 2021.
Most migrate from North Africa in overcrowded boats, where many perish. The Italian coastguard reported 30 migrants missing off Libya late on Sunday.
Wagner, a company run by a businessman regarded as close to President Vladimir Putin, has a presence in Africa as well as in Ukraine.
It has become established in Mali and the Central African Republic recently.
Italian Foreign Minister Antonio Tajani echoed Crosetto’s remarks when he said that Rome has concerns “because many immigrants arrive from areas controlled by the Wagner group” on a visit to Israel on Monday.
The hard-right government of Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni won its election in September in part due to a pledge to stop mass immigration.
She has drawn criticism for treating migrant boats more like a law enforcement problem than a humanitarian one, and for this reason, more than 70 people perished in a deadly shipwreck on February 26.
Italy, a member of the EU and NATO, is a steadfast supporter of Ukraine, providing it with aid and weapons to aid in its defense against Russian invasion.
