Putin planning to 'destabilise' Europe by 'using private armies to send migrants to the continent'
1 March 2024, 06:56
Vladimir Putin is planning to 'destabilise' Europe by sending migrants across the continent with the help of 'private armies'.
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The Russian leader is hoping to use a '15,000-man police force' made up of 'former Libyan militias' to 'weaponise' migrants from Africa.
It follows claims that the Kremlin is trying to orchestrate a refugee crisis on the continent by sending refugees to the border with Finland.
They are trying to use migration as a 'lever in a larger game of influence and pressure', according to the EU's border police force.
It would be done using private armies, including the Wagner group, as well as by fuelling violence in Burkina Faso, Mali and Libya.
The hope is that by fuelling conflicts in those countries, migrants would be forced to move to Europe.
Documents seen by the Telegraph show plans for Russia to set up a specialised 'border force' in Libya to carry out the plan.
"If you can control the migrant routes into Europe then you can effectively control elections, because you can restrict or flood a certain area with migrants in order to influence public opinion at a crucial time," a source told the publication.
Read More: Vladimir Putin warns the West: 'We have weapons that can hit your territory'
It comes after Putin has the people of Russia that the country’s nuclear capabilities are at a state of ‘full readiness’ in a speech to the nation.
During his annual state of the nation address Putin said: “Strategic nuclear forces are in a state of full readiness for guaranteed use. What we planned in the field of armaments, which I spoke about in my message in 2018, has all been done or this work is being completed.”
He also warned the West: “We also have weapons that can hit your territory.”But he said that accusations Russia will attack Europe are nonsense.
He said: “We need to seriously strengthen the groups in the western direction so that we can deal with the threat of another expansion of Nato to the east, dragging in Sweden and Finland.
“The west provoked conflicts in Ukraine and the Middle East and other regions and continues to lie. Now they make no bones about saying Russia is about to attack Europe. but we understand this is total nonsense.”
He said Russia was "defending its sovereignty and security and protecting our compatriots" in Ukraine.
