[Daily Mail, where America gets its news] Russia is trying to destabilise Europe and influence its elections by driving migrants into the continent using private armies, it has been claimed.
| It’s the old “Give ‘em what they want, good and hard” ploy. You can’t even really blame them, when it’s so easy that the temptation irresistible. |
Vladimir Putin already wields influence over a number of the main routes used to reach the continent, and it is now feared that Russia will 'intensify' its efforts to move migrants towards Europe with the arrival of spring.
Using paramilitary forces and private mercenaries, including the notorious Wagner group, it is believed Russia will stoke violence in already volatile nations such as Burkina Faso, Mali, Sudan, Central African Republic and Libya - forcing people to flee their homes and thus driving refugees towards Europe.
The Kremlin has already been accused of trying to create a refugee crisis by sending asylum seekers to its border with Finland, forcing the new NATO member to close its doors to migrants in a bid to stem the tide.
And since 2021, Belarus - Russia's closest ally - has been accused of funnelling immigrants from the Middle East and North Africa - who have travelled up through Russia - to its borders with Poland, Lithuania and Latvia. |