Tusk accuses Russia of trying to smuggle thousands of migrants to Europe

Polish Prime Minister Donald Tusk has said that Russia is behind the smuggling of thousands of migrants from Africa into Europe. This was reported by the Voice of America’s Russian-language service.

Donald Tusk announced the relaunch of a commission to investigate Russia’s illegal influence in the country in response to suspicions about the unlawful trafficking of thousands of refugees.

In response to allegations that thousands of migrants and refugees—mostly from the Middle East—have crossed or attempted to cross Poland’s eastern border since the summer of 2021, the country intends to fortify its borders.

The Polish prime minister told reporters that information gathered by the nation’s intelligence services suggests that the “Russian state” is behind these attempts.

“The organization of recruitment, transportation, and attempts to smuggle thousands of people into Europe is not some shadowy business; it is the Russian state,” Tusk declared.

Poland and other European countries accuse Belarus of having organized an influx of migrants together with Russia as part of a “hybrid” attack designed to destabilize the region and the EU as a whole.

The day before, Tusk announced that Polish special services had detained nine people on suspicion of participating in subversive activities in support of Russia.