Russia has systematically invested in this,” Podolyak explained why the far right is coming to power in Europe

Putin fuels far-right movements and anti-migrant sentiments / Collage 24 Channel

According to the results of the elections in the Netherlands, the far-right Freedom Party won, while the Ukrainian-friendly party of Prime Minister Mark Rutte came only third. Such a sharp turn “to the right” is taking place in many European countries and fully meets Russia’s interests.

Mikhail Podolyak, adviser to the head of the OPU, told Channel 24 about this. According to him, the rise of right-wing forces in Europe is the result of a long-term Kremlin program aimed at destabilizing Western countries.

How Russia is facilitating the rise of the far right

One of the most obvious examples of Russian destabilization in Europe is the crisis on the Finnish border. Russia is sending Pakistani and Afghan migrants there who want to “storm Helsinki.” A similar situation has been occurring at the Polish border since 2021.

“This is an absolutely understandable process. The sharp turn to the right (in Europe – Channel 24) is obvious, and Russia has been quite systematically investing in this (for many years – Channel 24),” noted the OPU adviser.

Wealthy European countries have long worked to build a multicultural society in which emigrants will help them overcome labor shortages. But Putin learned to use this to put pressure on Western democracies, believing that in such conditions classical intelligent politicians would lose to charismatic and tough parties .

“The war in Ukraine has provoked a lot of chaos in different regions. This chaos also provokes migration. What will the migrants put pressure on?” To the most ordered countries, where there is money and jobs. They do not come to these countries to assimilate. Those who come to the territory of wealthy countries hate these countries. Because they believe that they are to blame, that they should work for them, and not vice versa,” Podolyak said.

How to prevent the Kremlin's aspirations

Putin is well aware of the prevalence of anti-immigrant sentiment in Europe and wants to see it grow even stronger. The same sentiments are exploited by charismatic far-right politicians who promise to ban the entry of migrants and increase funding for the personal needs of citizens at the expense of other expenses. Including by supporting Ukraine in the war with Russia.

“If Putin continues to continue the war in Ukraine, the ultra-right will increasingly come to power in Europe, focusing on a single Nazi state in today’s world – Russia,” the OPU adviser is convinced.

Mikhail Podolyak on Russia’s influence on the rise of radicals in Europe: watch the video

In his opinion, the longer the war in Ukraine continues, the greater the risk of a significant “amendment” of European policy. And this can lead to tragedies, because after victory, the far right usually introduces authoritarian models of government, and also aggravates conflicts with its neighbors.

Therefore, Europeans should understand that when they invest in Ukraine today, they are investing in their security. When we win the war in Russia, this will allow us to rebuild the security system, significantly reduce migration pressure on European countries, significantly reduce escalation in other conflict regions, and also significantly reduce the influence of speculative propaganda, of which Russia is a key donor. – Podolyak noted.

After Ukraine's victory, Europe will have a certain period of time to hold an internal discussion and establish new rules that make such crises impossible. And the far right is being marginalized.

The EU continues to help Ukraine despite difficulties

• In December 2023, EU member states must approve the European Commission's decision to begin negotiations on Ukraine's accession. However, this approval is not guaranteed, because for this the EU and Ukraine will have to convince Hungary to abandon its position.
• Recently, Viktor Orban has repeatedly allowed himself to attack Ukraine, coming up with more and more new reasons why our state is not ready to join the European Union. However, Ukraine does not lose hope of reaching a compromise with Hungary.
• The EU is also making every effort to ensure that the decision of the majority of member states is not blocked by Budapest. For this purpose, Brussels is ready to unblock part of the Hungarian funds that were not provided to the country due to regression in the issue of democracy.