Italy Wants NATO to Help Combat Russia-Driven Migrant Influx

Italy’s defense minister on Monday called for help from NATO and the European Union to help deal with a new influx of migrants from north Africa he said has been sparked by Russian meddling in the region.

The “exponential increase” in migrant arrivals across the Mediterranean is “part of a clear strategy of hybrid warfare” by Russia’s paramilitary Wagner Group, which is using its influence in some African countries to foment a crisis, the minister, Guido Crosetto, said in a statement Monday.