Мигранты на эстонской границе. Фото: @politseijapiirivalveamet
Migration pressure could increase significantly in the coming weeks as people currently in Belarus try to reach Europe before freezing weather sets in. Director General of the Estonian Police and Border Guard Board Egert Belitšev said this on the “First Studio” program on October 8, ERR reports.
According to him, Russia is using Belarus to put pressure on Europe. Belitšev claims that the Russian authorities have deliberately eased entry requirements for citizens of a number of countries and increased the frequency of flights.
According to Belitšev, flights from Ethiopia to Moscow operate six times a week, and these passengers can enter Russia without visas. Their main goal is to reach Europe.
The migrants then travel by bus to Belarus, whose authorities, in his assessment, do not obstruct the process but facilitate it.
“Is it dependence, or a sense that by acting together with the master, you can become rich and successful? This is the path Belarus has chosen,” he said.
Belitšev said that routes to Europe through Belarus are organized by criminal groups. According to his data, one person pays an average of €5,000 to €10,000 for such a journey.
“It doesn’t work like this: he buys a ticket to Moscow and does everything else on his own,” the head of the agency explained.
Belitšev claimed that substantial profits are being made from this activity in both Belarus and Russia. He also said there are indications that representatives of the authorities in both countries receive income from it.
Estonian police are focusing on detaining smugglers, placing them in custody and bringing them to trial quickly. Where possible, criminal proceeds are seized. As an example, Belitšev cited a sentence handed down in mid-September: one of those detained received seven months in prison and a six-year ban on entering the Schengen Area.
The head of the agency noted that police are currently coping with the workload, although migration is also creating difficulties for other institutions. According to him, some arrivals claim to be minors in an attempt to benefit from the European system for their protection. In such cases, local authorities must provide guardianship. Administrative courts are also facing an increased workload.
Belitšev expects migration pressure to ease somewhat in winter, as it has in the past: few people are willing to hide in Belarusian forests when temperatures fall to minus 10 degrees Celsius. Before the cold weather arrives, however, he predicts that the number of attempts to reach Europe could increase significantly.
It was previously reported that the Estonian Police and Border Guard Board decided to strengthen controls on the border with Latvia. The reason is secondary migration.