DISINFO: The EU is sending terrorists and extremists to Belarus to destabilise the country
SUMMARY
They [the EU] are trying to send both terrorists and extremists here to Belarus, under the guise of supposedly returning migrants who entered the EU illegally.
Throughout Western Europe, ISIS members and those who were in the pre-trial detention centres are being brought together to be sent here to the Republic of Belarus to destabilise the situation.
RESPONSE
The message combines several disinformation claims about the migration crisis on the border of Belarus with Lithuania, Latvia and Poland, as well as the accusation of the belligerent West plotting against Belarus, trying to destabilise and destroy the country.
The ongoing migration crisis on the Eastern border of the European Union was directly caused by the Belarusian authorities.
On 2 September 2021, Poland declared a state of emergency in two regions bordering Belarus – this step is implemented in order to face the ongoing “migration crisis” orchestrated by Belarusian authorities. In August 2021, about 3500 irregular migrants attempted to enter the territory of Poland from Belarus. The current “migration crisis” is often described as a “hybrid war” tool used against the EU by Lukashenka and, possibly, Putin.
According to the position of the Polish authorities, the ongoing situation on the Belarusian border is a hybrid attack on Poland in order to destabilise the country and the entire EU. Currently, in late August 2021, the Belarusian border forces are not allowing several dozen migrants stuck at the Polish-Belarusian border to return to the country despite the fact that they have Belarusian visas (officially, they arrived in Belarus as tourists). In addition, the Belarusian authorities refused to accept Polish humanitarian aid for the people stuck at the border.
There is numerous evidence that the Belarusian authorities have instigated the ongoing migration crisis in Lithuania, Poland and Latvia. Lukashenka’s regime is using migrants from the Middle East as “political and hybrid” tools against Lithuania and the entire EU. Commissioner Ylva Johansson said, inter alia: “The authoritarian regime in Belarus is exploiting human beings for political reasons: this is completely unacceptable.”
In 2021, Lithuania, Poland and Latvia faced an influx of irregular migrants from Belarus. Earlier, Belarus ended cooperation with the EU to stem illegal migration. This was Minsk’s answer to the European Union sanctions on the political regime of Belarus (read more about sanctions here).
Several investigative journalists (here) and (here) have proven that some migrants arrive in Belarus by commercial flights from Baghdad to Minsk. Information gathered also suggests that migrants are regularly transported by bus to the Belarusian-Lithuanian border. More information about Lukashenka’s role in the organisation of the current migration crisis can be found here and here.