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Finland Alleges Russia’s Involvement in Facilitating Unauthorized Migrant Crossings

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Finnish Prime Minister Petteri Orpo has accused Russia of aiding migrants in entering Finland illegally, alleging that some have received assistance from Russian border guards. The number of unauthorized crossings has increased this week, with around 89 incidents recorded in two days, compared to 91 in the preceding four months. Finnish officials reveal that migrants, including individuals from Iraq, Yemen, and Syria, are arriving legally in Russia but lack authorization to enter Finland, an EU member state.

Colonel Matti Pitkaniitty of the Finnish border guard noted a change in Russian policy, asserting that Russian guards traditionally prevented people without proper documents from reaching the Finnish border. The migrants are exploiting an agreement allowing cycling across the border, prompting Finland to recently ban bicycle crossings. Most activity is concentrated around the Nuijamaa and Vaalimaa border crossings in south-eastern Finland. Prime Minister Orpo claimed that Russian authorities are facilitating these illegal crossings, emphasizing the assistance provided by border guards.

In 2021, a significant number of migrants from the Middle East and Africa entered EU member states Poland and Lithuania by flying to Belarus, a close Russian ally. The EU accused Belarusian leader Alexander Lukashenko of using migration as a tool of “hybrid warfare” to destabilize the bloc. Colonel Pitkaniitty, while acknowledging the manageable current numbers, stated that Finnish authorities are prepared to react if crossings increase.

Interior Minister Mari Rantanen announced plans to enhance border security, emphasizing the government’s commitment to addressing the situation. Colonel Pitkaniitty noted that the route into the EU via Russia is considered safer than other options, such as crossing the Mediterranean by sea. He expressed concern that word of this route’s safety might attract more migrants, potentially leading to a rapid increase in numbers, emphasizing the unpredictability of when the opportunity might end.

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Lukashenko claims Wagner leader Prigozhin is present in Russia

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Belarusian leader Alexander Lukashenko has stated that Yevgeny Prigozhin, the leader of the Wagner Group and former participant in a brief armed rebellion in Russia, is currently in Russia and not in Belarus. Prigozhin’s whereabouts had been unknown after he was spotted in southern Russia during the mutiny.

However, as part of a negotiated agreement to resolve the situation, charges against Prigozhin were dropped, allowing him and his fighters to potentially relocate to Belarus. Lukashenko, who played a role in brokering the deal, initially claimed that Prigozhin had arrived in Belarus when a private jet associated with him landed in Minsk on June 27.

However, Lukashenko recently informed reporters that Prigozhin is actually in St. Petersburg and not present in Belarus. Despite this, Lukashenko reiterated that the offer for Wagner fighters to station themselves in Belarus, a prospect raising concerns among neighboring NATO countries, remains open.

Lukashenko believes there is no risk to Belarus and does not anticipate Wagner fighters taking up arms against his country. The Wagner Group is a private mercenary army that has fought alongside the Russian military in Ukraine. Prigozhin’s mutiny involved Wagner mercenaries crossing the border into Russia from field camps in Ukraine and seizing control of certain security facilities in the southern city of Rostov-on-Don. They then proceeded toward Moscow, leading to increased security measures implemented by the Kremlin in various regions, including the capital.

While Vladimir Putin accused the group of treason, the mutiny’s resolution resulted in Prigozhin receiving security assurances and the dropping of the Russian criminal case against Wagner. The fighters were given the option to sign regular army contracts, return home, or relocate to Belarus.

Lukashenko had previously stated that Wagner mercenaries were offered an abandoned military base if they chose to join their leader. Recent satellite imagery has shown the potential establishment of tents at a former military base near Minsk, but no concrete evidence of their occupation has been observed yet.

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Vladimir Putin vows to hold accountable the leaders of the Wagner mutiny

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Vladimir Putin, the Russian President, has accused the leaders of the recent Wagner mutiny of seeking to create chaos and conflict within Russia. In a strongly-worded speech, Putin vowed to bring the organizers of the revolt to justice. However, he distinguished the regular Wagner troops as “patriots” and provided them with options to join the army, go to Belarus, or return home. Putin did not specifically mention Yevgeny Prigozhin, the head of Wagner, who had previously denied any involvement in attempting to overthrow Putin’s regime.

Wagner is a private army of mercenaries that has been fighting alongside the Russian military in Ukraine. The mutiny, which was short-lived, involved Wagner fighters seizing a major Russian city and advancing towards Moscow in a convoy of military vehicles. Prigozhin claimed that the revolt was in response to government plans to take direct control of Wagner, citing concerns over mistakes made by defense officials during the war with Ukraine. He insisted that Wagner had always acted in Russia’s interests.

Prigozhin’s comments were his first public statements since reaching a deal to end the mutiny, reportedly involving him going to Belarus with dropped criminal charges. However, Russian state media reported that he remains under investigation. Putin emphasized in his address to the Russian people that the organizers of the march on Moscow would face justice and criticized Prigozhin for betraying Russia. He used the speech to assert his authority and counter the perception of a weak response to the mutiny.

Putin accused the West of wanting Russians to turn against each other, although US President Joe Biden denied any involvement by the US or its allies in the rebellion. Putin claimed that his handling of the crisis prevented a catastrophe, but many Russians witnessed events differently and may not be convinced by his statements. He reiterated his promise to allow Wagner troops who did not engage in violence against fellow Russians to leave for Belarus or sign contracts with the Ministry of Defense or other military and law enforcement structures. Putin credited the unity of Russian society and thanked Belarusian leader Alexander Lukashenko for his role in peacefully resolving the situation.

The contrast between Putin’s portrayal of a united country and the scenes in Rostov, where locals welcomed and embraced the Wagner fighters, led Putin to suggest that the mercenaries had been deceived and used. The rebellion occurred after months of tensions between Wagner and Russia’s military leadership. The situation escalated when Wagner mercenaries crossed the Ukrainian border and took control of the regional military command in Rostov-on-Don, while a column of military vehicles headed towards Moscow. Prigozhin claimed that the “march of justice” exposed serious security problems across the country and mentioned Lukashenko’s involvement in brokering an agreement to end the mutiny. He expressed regret for the deaths of Russian troops during the conflict but justified their actions as self-defense.

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Lukashenko warns Belarus will join Russia in war if attacked

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Few people are as familiar with Vladimir Putin as Alexander Lukashenko. The authoritarian ruler of Belarus is a staunch supporter of the “special military operation,” as Mr. Putin refers to it, which is what the majority of the rest of the world refers to as Russia’s conflict in Ukraine.

Mr. Putin hasn’t had a conversation with Western journalists since his extensive invasion of Ukraine a year ago. Nonetheless, Mr. Lukashenko answered questions from a select number of foreign media, including the BBC, today in Minsk.

There has been a rise in military cooperation between Russia and Belarus, as evidenced by joint exercises and the creation of a combined military organisation. Yet, up to this point, the president of Belarus has refrained from sending his troops into Ukraine to fight with Russian forces.

Alexander Lukashenko is not recognised as the rightful leader of Belarus by the UK, EU, or the US. Belarusians flocked to the streets in 2020 to protest him for allegedly stealing the nation’s presidential election. The demonstrations were mercilessly put down.

Using the incident on Thursday, Mr. Lukashenko accused the West of starting the war in Ukraine.

He made accusations against Western nations for escalating the situation and displayed some Putinesque nuclear sabre-rattling.

Having facilitated the Russian invasion of Ukraine one year ago, the Belarusian leader now claims he can help negotiate peace.

Mr Lukashenko suggested that next week would be a good time to start, with US President Joe Biden due to visit Poland.

“I invite [President Biden] to Belarus,” Mr Lukashenko said. “It’s not far from Warsaw, Thirty minutes and he’ll be in Minsk. He could land his plane here. I will persuade the president of Russia to come. I invite him too to Minsk, as well as Biden. We will sit down and reach an agreement.”

It is an invitation the US president is likely to decline. In this war Mr Lukashenko is not seen as an honest broker.

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Belarus, Ukraine, Russia activists win Nobel Peace Prize

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The Nobel Peace Prize has been given to a jailed activist from Belarus as well as two organisations from Russia and Ukraine for promoting democracy and human rights. As a rebuke to two authoritarian governments, the choice to honour Ales Bialiatsky, Russia’s Memorial, and the Ukrainian Center for Civil Liberties.

In December of last year, Russia forcibly closed Memorial in advance of Vladimir Putin’s decision to invade Ukraine. Alexander Lukashenko protests led to the imprisonment of Bialiatsky. The CCL of Ukraine has kept tabs on political repression and atrocities committed in regions of the nation that Russia has invaded or annexed.

All three had made “an excellent effort to expose war crimes, human rights abuses, and the misuse of power,” according to Berit Reiss-Andersen, head of the Norwegian Nobel Committee, who spoke to reporters.

She responded that the Nobel prize was always given “for something and to somebody and not against anyone” when asked if the committee was making a statement to Russia’s president on the occasion of his 70th birthday.

Belarus’s long-time ruler is a close ally of President Putin. After a re-election in 2020 that was widely condemned as rigged, he brutally cracked down on protesters and then allowed Russian forces to use his country as a launchpad in its war against Ukraine.

Ales Bialiatsky, 60, established the civil rights organisation Viasna, which is Belarusian for spring, in 1996, two years after Mr. Lukashenko took office. He was first imprisoned in 2011, and last year, he was again incarcerated without being given a reason. He is one of the 1,348 individuals that Viasna claims are being imprisoned as political prisoners in Belarus at the moment.

Svetlana Tikhanovskaya, an exiled opposition activist, hailed the Nobel committee for “recognising all Belarusians struggling for freedom and democracy,” and Natallia Pinchuk, Bialiatsky’s wife, said she was “overwhelmed with emotion.”

A spokesman for the Minsk foreign ministry claimed that Alfred Nobel was “turning in his grave” as a result of the awarding of the Nobel Peace Prize to Bialiatsky.

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Belarus uses force against protesters

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Belarus has used severe force to quell protest originated against its President, Alexander Lukashenko, who was recently re-elected as the head of the country.  

As per a report, the Belarusian riot police have used water cannon and stun grenades against the protesters.

The protest was triggered by the disputed election – which declared Mr. Alexander as the winner of the presidential election.

Several human rights organisations have raised serious criticism against the way Belarus has handled the protest organised against the disputed election.

Amnesty International has demanded the intervention of the western forces to address the issues developed in Belarus.

In the latest rally also, several people have been booked. Since the emergence of the protest, numerous people have been detained by the Belarus police.

The police, in the latest protest, have blasted protesters with coloured water to mark them out for arrest.

Many believe that it is high time to interfere in the issue.

Belarus is a country in the Eastern Europe, which has enormous growth potential. It is not in a good relation with the European Union.

It has a good relation with Russia. Recently, Russia offered support to the country to quell the protest.

The west is closely watching the development in the Eastern Europe.

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Belarusian opposition leader in self-imposed exile

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Svetlana Tikhanovskaya, the opposition leader of Belarus, has left the country, saying that she feared for the lives of her children.

She was recently defected by Belarus President Alexander Lukashenko in the election. The President secured at least 80 per cent of the total votes registered.

Anyway, the opposition has not yet conceded the loss. They have raised their doubt in the credibility of the structure established to conduct the election.

The opposition leader is at present in Lithuania.

The country has been witnessed several protests against the President since the result of the election was announced.

The police have used violent methods to suppress the movement developed against the President – who is in office since the year 1994.

Many have criticised the human rights abuses carried out by the police in order to support the government which has secured a marginal victory whose authenticity is yet to be proved.

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