Russia's Wagner Group blamed for surge in migration and offshore deaths.

Italy's right-wing government is blaming Russian mercenaries in Libya for an increase in migrant arrivals, claiming it is part of a "clear strategy of hybrid war" in retaliation for Western support for Ukraine. Some analysts have dismissed the claims, stating that the surge in migrant departures from eastern Libya is overseen by the Haftar clan. Italian intelligence services fear that 685,000 migrants in Libya could soon be headed towards Italy, but UN migration agency officials have called this scenario implausible. Italy's government has cracked down on humanitarian rescue boats and made it a distinct crime if a shipwreck or capsizing results in multiple migrant deaths.