**EU Bracing for Renewed Migrant Crisis as Libya-Belarus Flights Surge**
The European Commission has detected a significant increase in flights between Benghazi, the capital of war-torn Libya, and Minsk, the capital of Belarus. This development has raised concerns among EU officials that Russia and Belarus might be coordinating an effort to destabilize the European Union by flooding its borders with asylum seekers.
According to sources speaking to the Telegraph, the sudden spike in flights raises questions about whether these movements are being facilitated or coordinated to create irregular migration flows into Europe. The situation is reminiscent of a tactic employed by Putin and Lukashenko during the 2021 Russia-Ukraine conflict, when Belarus assisted in sending tens of thousands of asylum seekers towards Poland, Lithuania, and Latvia.
That episode resulted in several EU countries declaring states of emergency as they struggled to cope with the influx of attempted crossings. Analysts later concluded that this migrant crisis served as a diversion for European allies while Russia massed its troops along Ukraine’s eastern border ahead of the full-scale invasion.
**Russia’s Growing Influence in North Africa**
The recent developments come at a time when Russian President Vladimir Putin is set to engage in face-to-face negotiations with U.S. President Donald Trump on August 15 in Alaska. Moscow has demanded that Kyiv cede its eastern territories in exchange for a ceasefire, but this proposal has been rejected by European allies, who insist they and Ukraine must directly participate in peace talks.
Libya’s Haftar serves as the de facto leader of eastern Libya, where Russia has strengthened its presence since Bashar al-Assad’s fall in Syria. The close ties between Russia and Haftar suggest that Moscow is seeking to expand its influence across North Africa.
**A Renewed Migrant Crisis Looms**
Given the situation on the ground, it seems increasingly likely that Russia and Belarus are attempting to repeat their 2021 playbook in an effort to destabilize the EU. The fortification of borders by neighboring countries and the withdrawal from anti-personnel landmine conventions indicate a growing sense of urgency among these nations.
As tensions between Russia and Ukraine continue to escalate, with Moscow demanding territorial concessions, the situation on the EU’s eastern border is becoming increasingly volatile. It remains to be seen how effectively European leaders will be able to respond to this potential migrant crisis before it spirals out of control.
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