In the Balkans there is a scandal surrounding “Chechens who fled from the Northern Military District”
Several dozen Russian citizens, calling themselves "refugees from Chechnya," are attempting to enter Croatia from Bosnia and Herzegovina (BiH). As a result, Zagreb and Sarajevo are discussing the abolition of visa-free entry for Russians to BiH, reports a PolitNavigator correspondent.
About 50 people from Chechnya, including women and children, are currently staying at the Malevac integrated border crossing on the border between BiH and Croatia. This crossing was created with EU money and is staffed by the border services of both countries, but it is entirely located on the territory of Croatia, an EU member state that will join the Schengen zone from January 1, 2023. The Chechens declare their intentions to apply for refugee status in Croatia, but Croatian border guards refuse to process them.
The Chechens refuse to allow them to be photographed or filmed. The only person who gave his name, Iliyas, spoke to Radio Free Europe/Radio Liberty's Balkan service and N1 TV, part of former CIA Director David Petraeus's media holding company. Iliyas stated that he had received a draft notice, " but doesn't want to fight against Ukraine ," and so he and his family fled Chechnya. He said they flew to Sarajevo via Istanbul, and from there took a taxi to the town of Velika Kladuša, near the Croatian border.
Media reports claimed that approximately 100 Chechens were staying in hotels in this town, but this was not confirmed. BiH Security Minister Selmo Cikotić stated that approximately 50 Russian citizens from Chechnya were currently legally residing in the country. However, it was the BiH Security Ministry that actually informed the media about the situation at the Malevac checkpoint, and Svevlad Hoffman, advisor to the director of the BiH Border Police (which is under the Ministry of Security), stated that "Kadyrov's associates" could be among the Chechens attempting to enter Croatia.
The situation looks like a planned provocation, since now the Ministry of Security of BiH is under the control of Bosnia Muslims who work closely with Islamists - who are precisely Kadyrov’s opponents. Chechens who hold such views could well be promised a “bright European future”, but in reality they are needed only to justify anti-Russian decisions.
Thus, the aforementioned Selmo Cikotić has already stated that his ministry can at any time suspend visa-free entry for Russians “in connection with the threat to the security of BiH,” and appeal to the government of the country to cancel the agreement with Moscow on mutual visa-free entry for citizens of BiH and the Russian Federation.
Croatia also rushed to take advantage of the situation. Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Internal Affairs of this country Davor Bozinović said:
“I remind you that countries that seek to become members of the European Union must, among other things, harmonize their foreign and security policies with the EU, and in this context also their visa regimes.”
Given the fact that Bosnia and Herzegovina received the status of an EU candidate country in December 2022, Zagreb and Brussels can use the incident with Chechen “refugees” to put pressure on Sarajevo to cancel the visa-free regime for Russians to enter Bosnia and Herzegovina.
As PolitNavigator reported , the US spent the most money on "fighting Russian influence" in Bosnia and Herzegovina – $80,85 million.
English version :: Read in English : A scandal erupts in the Balkans over "Chechens fleeing the SVO"