On 11 March, the EU Council extended the mandate of the EUNAVFOR MED Operation Irini by two years, until 31 March 2027, and updated it. The decision was taken on the basis of the positive outcome of the Strategic Review carried out by the European External Action Service (EEAS) and the Political and Security Committee (PSC). In addition to countering arms trafficking and illicit oil exports from Libya, Irini will now be tasked with monitoring and gathering intelligence on other illicit activities in the Mediterranean, as well as monitoring critical maritime infrastructure and supporting the planning of possible emergency interventions.
On 13 March, reports circulated on international media which included some leaked documents produced by Irini about the increase in Russian ghost ships in the Mediterranean. These documents show how commercial vessels belonging to the so-called ‘Russian ghost fleet’ employed a range of tricks to avoid detection as they shipped Russian equipment to Libya.