According to Zlotovsky, Russia's special operation in Ukraine, as well as the "blockade of Ukrainian grain exports," could lead to a global food crisis.
Such a situation, the deputy added, "will hit the countries of Africa and the Middle East the hardest."
"Does the European Commission worry that one of the motives for Russia's actions in Ukraine may be to provoke a new wave of mass illegal migration to the EU?"
Zlotovsky asked the EC.
Thus, he expressed the opinion that Vladimir Putin is allegedly capable of "using migration as a weapon against the EU."
In this context, the parliamentarian recalled the “Russian-inspired” and “organized by Alexander Lukashenko” migration crisis on the Polish-Belarusian border in 2021.
“Does the EC monitor the number of tourist visas issued by Russia and Belarus and the volume of air traffic to these countries from the countries of Africa and the Middle East in order to prevent a repetition of the situation on the Polish-Belarusian border?”
- Among other things, the deputy asked.
The migration crisis on the border of Belarus and Poland began to develop in the spring of 2021 and escalated in the fall.
The authorities of Poland and the Baltic countries accused Minsk of provoking the crisis.
European politicians also tried to lay the blame for what was happening on Moscow.
Russia and Belarus have repeatedly commented on this position, including European colleagues, emphasizing that the cause of the next migration crisis is the policy of Western countries.
Along with this, speaking about the problems associated with the export of grain from Ukraine, Russian officials noted that Moscow is not the source of these difficulties.