Migration as a Tool of Hybrid Warfare and the Responses of Northern European Law Enforcement Agencies
Copyright (c) 2025 Gémesi dr. Géza
This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-NoDerivatives 4.0 International License.
Abstract
This study examines how Russia and Belarus have instrumentalized migration as a tool of hybrid warfare along the eastern borders of the European Union. Special attention is given to the responses of Finland, Lithuania, and Latvia, which include not only law enforcement and border protection measures but also innovative political and legal solutions. Using a qualitative, case study-based document analysis, the research focuses on developments between 2021 and 2024, particularly on instances of migration being used as a means of coercion. The main finding is that this form of hybrid warfare poses significant challenges to the EU's common asylum system and exacerbates the difficulties in forming a unified migration policy. The cases analyzed further illustrate that unilateral actions justified by national security concerns open new debates about the fragile balance between border protection and human rights.
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