Putin, "Opposes Hosting Afghan Refugees in Neighboring Countries... Terrorists May Infiltrate"

"Demanding refugee acceptance without visas is insulting"
"Millions of refugees will flood the borders"

[Image source=Reuters Yonhap News]

[Asia Economy Reporter Hyunwoo Lee] Russian President Vladimir Putin has strongly opposed the influx of Afghan refugees into Central Asian neighboring countries. He emphasized that the large-scale influx of refugees could pose a significant security threat as terrorists might enter regions adjacent to Russia in large numbers. This issue is interpreted as potentially becoming a sensitive political matter in Russia ahead of next month's parliamentary elections.

According to Russia's Interfax news agency on the 22nd (local time), President Vladimir Putin, during a meeting with the leadership of the ruling "United Russia Party" ahead of next month's elections, sharply criticized, saying, "Allowing refugees into our neighboring Central Asian countries from the West without visas while refusing to take them into our own country is an insulting approach to problem-solving."

He stated, "Afghanistan is directly related to Russia's security," and emphasized, "We do not know who might be mixed among the refugees, and their numbers could range from thousands to tens of thousands or even millions." He continued, "Russia shares a 1,000 km border with these countries, and there are currently no border control restrictions. What will we do if refugees push into Russia along the steppe regions?"

Russia already views the large-scale acceptance of Afghan refugees as a potential infiltration route for terrorists disguised as refugees. Russia is a country with strong anti-Islamic sentiments and has been identified as a major target by Islamist extremist groups such as Al-Qaeda and ISIS.

President Putin emphasized, "The Afghan refugee issue will be addressed at the Collective Security Treaty Organization (CSTO) virtual summit scheduled for the 23rd." The CSTO is a military and security cooperation organization established in 2002, consisting of six former Soviet countries: Russia, Belarus, Armenia, Kazakhstan, Tajikistan, and Kyrgyzstan.

This content was produced with the assistance of AI translation services.