War on Refugees: Die Russland-Libyen Connecion

Um das Jahr 2015 herum hat der Kreml die Flüchtlingswaffe für sich entdeckt. Damals war das eher noch Nebeneffekt der systematischen Zerstörung Syriens und Vertreibung vor allem von sunnitischen Arabern in die Nachbarländer, die sich dann irgendwann nach Europa aufgemacht und die große Flüchtlingskrise im Jahr 2016 ausgelöst haben.

Seitdem werden Flüchtlinge wesentlich gezielter "eingesetzt" - man denke nur an die Flüge aus Syrien nach Belarus, an denen damals noch verschieden äußerst unangenehme Gestalten im Nahen Osten sich eine goldene Nase verdienen.

Cham Wings, die Fluglinie, mit der das damals betrieben wurde, bediente auch die Strecke über Libyen und wie genau das ging und wohl noch geht, beschreibt die DW:

For years, flights from Syria to eastern Libya were operated mainly by a private Syrian airline, as Laessing noted. "They brought migrants from Asia, such as Pakistan and Bangladesh, to eastern Libya. From there, they were transferred to ships that set off for Italy."

According to Megerisi, human trafficking follows a fixed pattern.

"On arrival, migrants hand over their informal visas to [Haftar's forces], who detain [the people] until they receive payment by the network. They are then held for between several days to several weeks, typically in inhuman conditions, before being taken to 'launch points' where they board boats towards Europe. At this point, Saddam [Hafter] is paid again for his coastguard units to allow boats through: $100 dollars per migrant for 'smaller boats' ... or an $80,000 flat fee for larger boats," he wrote in his study.

Others are taken to western Libya, Megerisi added: "This demonstrates how Libyan armed groups cross political divides in pursuit of profit." (...)

This is where Moscow's interests vis-a-vis Europe come into play. "The Kremlin has weaponized migration," Megerisi stated.

According to him, this was already the case during the war in Syria, when Russian planes brought migrants from Damascus to Minsk, who then traveled on toward Western Europe.

At the time, it increased pressure on the EU's external borders, he said, adding that it is currently uncertain whether these flights are still taking place.

Since the fall of Assad, the focus of migration has been in the Sahel zone, said Megerisi. While Russian militias are helping to ensure that more people from that region find their way to Europe, they are also working hand in hand with Saddam Haftar, he said..