Migration Threat: Lukashenko Again Uses Illegal Migrants to Pressure Europe
In the current climate of political and humanitarian instability, Belarus continues to play a strategic game along the borders of the European Union by escalating efforts to use illegal migration as a tool of political leverage.
According to the Ukrainian Foreign Intelligence Service, Alexander Lukashenko's regime has once again organized a new operation involving the transit of illegal migrants from countries such as Libya through Belarus to Poland and other European countries’ borders.
This is not the first instance of Minsk employing migrants in its geopolitical maneuvering — in 2021, such tactics led to a major crisis on European borders.
The European Union responded with tough sanctions and diplomatic isolation, whose repercussions are still felt in Belarus.
Meanwhile, Lukashenko appears to benefit financially from migrant transit, profiting while also trying to maintain a degree of political independence.
He deliberately distances himself from direct conflicts with the West, aiming to preserve diplomatic channels, such as those with Hungary.
His tactical moves are also aimed at demonstrating autonomy and using this situation to exert political pressure on Western countries.
Intelligence reports highlight that the European Union faces a new wave of illegal migration driven by worsening humanitarian crises in Africa, the Middle East, and Afghanistan.
Countries capable of exploiting migrants as geopolitical tools are once again at the forefront of international politics, posing additional security challenges for the EU.