The Russian mercenary group Wagner is offering a $15 million reward for the arrest or elimination of Italian Defense Minister Guido Crosetto, Il Foglio newspaper reported on Wednesday.
The reward offered by the Russian mercenary group was signaled to the minister by Italian intelligence services about 10 days ago, the same newspaper said, quoted by the Italian news agency ANSA.
O The Foglio further reported that Crosetto did not increase his security detail despite the threat.
Earlier this week, Crosetto accused the Wagner group of expelling migrants from Africa, particularly Libya, in retaliation for Rome’s support of Ukraine.
Best known today for his role in the Russian invasion of Ukraine, Wagner is also active in Mali, the Central African Republic, Sudan, Syria and Libya.
The founder of the Wagner group, Yevgeny Prigojine, responded to Crosetto’s allegations that the mercenary group was fueling migration from several African countries to Italy, saying that the group did not deal with migrants.
Prigojine also called Crosetto “mudak,” a highly offensive Russian term that literally means testicle, but often means idiot.
Crosetto accused the pro-Kremlin Russian private company of waging a “hybrid war” and encouraging migration in the African countries where it has a presence.
Italy is covered by the so-called Central Mediterranean route, which leaves Libya, Algeria and Tunisia towards Europe, namely the Italian and Maltese territories.
According to the European Border and Coast Guard Agency (Frontex), arrivals of migrants via the Central Mediterranean route increased by 116% in January and February compared to 2022.
Source: DN
