05/22/2022 13:54 (act 05/22/2022 15:08)
Putin’s plan? Refugees from the Middle East and Africa were supposed to destabilize Europe. ©AP/CanvaPro
According to the former German ambassador to Russia, Russian President Vladimir Putin wants to trigger famines in the Middle East and Africa.
The aim is to destabilize Europe through massive refugee movements, diplomat Rüdiger von Fritsch told Tagesspiegel. “Putin’s calculation” is that after the grain supply collapses, hungry people will try to reach Europe.
“Hybrid Warfare”
That’s why Russia is blocking Ukraine from exporting grain and bombing grain elevators, von Fritsch said. “With new flows of refugees, he wants to destabilize Europe and increase political pressure on Western countries to give up their tough stance against Russia. This is his new hybrid war,” von Fritsch said. Hybrid warfare also includes the use of non-military means such as cyber attacks or disinformation campaigns.
Russia blocks grain exports
Ukraine is one of the largest grain producers in the world. However, exports through Ukrainian ports were halted because of the Russian war of aggression. According to the German government, Russia is blocking the export of 20 million tonnes of grain in Ukraine, mainly to North Africa and Asia, most of it in the port of Odessa.
Zelenskyy warns of a crisis
According to the New York Times, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy also warned Saturday of a global food crisis if Russia is not stopped from blocking wheat deliveries. He brought a “military solution” to this.