DISINFO: Europe is trying to blame Belarus for the migration crisis; the West declared war on Belarus
SUMMARY
Europe is trying to blame the Belarusian leadership for the problem related to the mass of refugees heading to the EU from Belarus and is using it against Belarus, but it is clear that Belarus has nothing to do with it.
The West has declared war on Belarus simply because Belarus does not want to destroy its historic brotherhood and friendship with Russia. Belarus, unlike Georgia and Ukraine, does not declare war on Russia. That is why Europe is doing everything possible to split Russia and Belarus.
RESPONSE
Multiple pro-Kremlin disinformation narratives about the migration crisis on the EU-Belarus border, about the belligerent West, particularly the EU, trying to destabilise and destroy Belarus, consistent with the pro-Kremlin narratives about the Western attempts to disrupt Belarus-Russia relations, and Russia as the ultimate target of international events.
There is plenty of 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, Poland, and the entire EU.
The European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen has stated that the situation on the EU-Belarus border is "the attempt of an authoritarian regime to try to destabilise its democratic neighbours". Similarly, High Representative Borrell has highlighted that the Lukashenka regime is weaponising human beings as a tool for political purposes by giving migrants false expectations and putting them in a situation of extreme vulnerability.
The claim that the West, and particularly the EU, is involved in unfriendly actions towards Belarus or that it has some aggressive geopolitical plans or contempt for the sovereignty of this country is unfounded. Western countries have no plans to harm the independence or sovereignty of Belarus but have to react to events in Belarus.
The EU did not recognise the falsified results of the Belarusian Presidential election on 9 August 2020 or the new mandate claimed by Alyaksandr Lukashenka. On 2 October 2020, the Council imposed the first round of restrictive measures over ongoing repression. The EU imposed two more rounds of restrictive measures against the Belarusian regime in 2020, followed by the fourth package of sanctions in view of the escalation of serious human rights violations and the forced landing of a Ryanair flight.
On 15 November 2021, the EU broadened the scope for sanctions to tackle hybrid attacks and instrumentalisation of migrants. The EU will now be able to target individuals and entities organising or contributing to activities by the Lukashenka regime that facilitate the illegal crossing of the EU's external borders. This came amid the growing instrumentalisation of migration by the Belarusian authorities.