MEP Andrius Kubilius, in a debate on the impact of Russia’s invasion of Ukraine on migration flows to the European Union at the plenary session of the European Parliament in Strasbourg on Tuesday, pointed out that Russia, as a terrorist state, has used and is using migration as a weapon.
According to the MEP, “since last year, Russia has been taking advantage of the illegal migration of people from Africa and the Middle East through Belarus to Lithuania, Poland and Latvia”.
“By launching a brutal and criminal war against Ukraine, Russia hoped that the millions of war refugees from Ukraine would not be welcomed in EU countries and that chaos would reign. Putin failed – Europeans showed their solidarity. By bombing Ukraine’s civilian infrastructure before the winter, Putin is hoping that millions more Ukrainians will be forced to flee their country,” said Mr. Kubilius.
By launching a massive military mobilisation in Russia itself, he says, the Kremlin has created a new wave of migrants – from Russia itself. They are fleeing by the hundreds of thousands to Kazakhstan, Sakartvel, Armenia.
“Russians do not want to live in their own terrorist state. This is the essence of Russia today. This is the tragedy of Russia”, said the MEP.
On what Europe’s political response should be, Mr. Kubilius suggested protecting the EU’s eastern borders and welcoming Ukrainians fleeing the war.
“First, we need to strongly protect our eastern borders from migrants from Africa and the Middle East, manipulated by Putin and Lukashenko. Second, we must declare that we will accept all Ukrainians who are forced to leave their country because of Putin’s declaration of war. Thirdly, we must financially help Kazakhstan, Sakhartvel, Armenia, which are receiving huge crowds of refugees from Russia”, the MEP stressed.
He said that “by taking appropriate precautions and complying with our own asylum legislation, we must be prepared to receive those Russians who flee from the Russian armed forces”.
“Terrorist states will fail no matter what weapons they try to use against us, including turning migrants into their weapons,” Kubilius concluded.
