“According to Tallinn’s estimates, up to 1.5 million citizens of the Russian Federation participated in the war against Ukraine, part of which the Kremlin can use to destabilize Europe.”, — write: www.unian.ua
According to Tallinn’s estimates, up to 1.5 million citizens of the Russian Federation participated in the war against Ukraine, part of which the Kremlin can use to destabilize Europe.
Putin can destabilize Europe after the ceasefire in Ukraine / UNIAN collage, photo by the Ministry of Defense of the Russian Federation, screenshotRussia could use any ceasefire in Ukraine to refocus its aggression on Europe, bringing in hundreds of thousands of ex-servicemen to wage a hybrid war. This was stated by the Minister of Foreign Affairs of Estonia, Margus Tsahkna, in an interview with The Telegraph.
According to him, the President of the Russian Federation, Vladimir Putin, is preparing to “send thousands of criminals to wreak havoc throughout Europe”, including former prisoners and persons with a criminal record who fought in Ukraine.
Tsakhkna called on EU countries to introduce a complete ban on entry into the Schengen zone for Russian soldiers who participated in the war against Ukraine, as well as an embargo on work visas and residence permits. He also appealed to Great Britain to join the coordination of such events.
“Now there are almost a million militants in Russia. When peace comes, we can imagine that hundreds of thousands of former militants will come to Europe. And they definitely don’t have good plans,” the minister said.
The head of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Estonia noted that the Russian special services are already involving such people in sabotage and attacks in European countries. According to him, after 2022, the EU and Great Britain recorded a sharp increase in sabotage operations related to Russia, including arson and other high-profile incidents.
“Very sudden threat”According to estimates given in the diplomatic note of Estonia, up to 1.5 million citizens of the Russian Federation could take part in the war against Ukraine, of which about 640 thousand are still in service. At the same time, up to 180,000 prisoners were directly recruited from Russian colonies.
Tsakhna warned that these people pose “a very sudden and serious threat to the security of Europe” because they have combat experience and a criminal past.
Estonia has already started to act on its own: at the beginning of the month, the country banned the entry of 261 former Russian combatants, and also publishes the names of people who may try to get to the EU after a possible ceasefire.
The minister emphasized that Europe should act immediately:
“We need to do it now. We are not ready for peace. Europe is not ready for peace.”
The British government, commenting on the situation, said that border security is a matter of national security, and London will continue to work closely with allies to counter threats from Russia.
Peace talks – are there any chances of a breakthroughAs UNIAN reported, US President Donald Trump previously hinted that Russia’s promise to leave the Kyiv energy system alone until February 1 is a concession to Ukraine, which insisted on an “energy ceasefire” before the next round of negotiations in Abu Dhabi.
Vladimir Putin may be trying to buy time. However, it can also signal an openness to compromise, the contours of which are beginning to become clearer. According to The Economist, there is a glimmer of hope in the peace talks, but there will be no breakthrough until March.
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