There are allegations that Russia is actively working to destabilize Europe and manipulate its elections by orchestrating the movement of migrants into the continent through the use of private armies.

Vladimir Putin is said to have significant control over key routes leading to Europe, and concerns are mounting that Russia will escalate its efforts to direct migrants toward Europe as spring approaches.

Employing paramilitary forces and private mercenaries, including the infamous Wagner group, Russia is believed to be exacerbating conflicts in already unstable nations like Burkina Faso, Mali, Sudan, the Central African Republic, and Libya.

The goal is to compel people to flee their homes, thereby generating a refugee influx towards Europe.

The Kremlin has previously been accused of engineering a refugee crisis by directing asylum seekers to its border with Finland, prompting the NATO member to close its doors to migrants in an effort to curb the flow.

Since 2021, Belarus, a close ally of Russia, has faced accusations of channeling immigrants from the Middle East and North Africa, who have traversed through Russia, to its borders with Poland, Lithuania, and Latvia.

Recent reports suggest that intelligence documents reveal Russian plans to establish a ‘15,000-man strong border police force’ comprised of former militias in Libya, aimed at guiding migrants toward Europe, the Daily Mail reported.

While these plans reportedly fell through due to failed payments via the ‘Russian-Libyan cultural institute’ in Moscow, it is considered a glimpse into potential future actions.

Warnings abound that Putin is strategically attempting to influence Western countries’ politics, using certain African nations as staging grounds for migrant movements.

The EU’s border police force has asserted that Russia is employing migration as a tool “in a larger game of influence and pressure” against its adversaries in the West.

Written by B.C. Begley