Estonian MEP: German parties' idea to grant asylum to mobilization dodgers 'madness'

TALLINN – Riho Terras, member of the European Parliament from Estonia, has described as "complete madness" the proposal of the Greens and liberal FDP groups in the German parliament to offer asylum to Russians fleeing their country to escape the mobilization ordered by President Vladimir Putin, warning that following through with the idea would threaten the security of Europe.

"European countries must not create a situation where tens of thousands of Russian men arrive in the European Union as an uncontrolled mass. This would be many times worse than the refugee crisis of 2015, when Germany's then chancellor Angela Merkel invited all refugees to Germany," Terras, former chief of defense of Estonia, said.

"Any mass border crossings from Russia into the border countries of the European Union would create opportunities for provocations and potential grounds for 'little green men' action. We must take into account that the war is not only being fought between Ukraine and Russia, but it is a war initiated by Russia against the European Union, NATO and the West. In such a situation, there is no place for naivety," said Terras, stressing that EU borders must be kept closed to Russian citizens.

"These same mobilized people must fight at home for Russia to become a normal, democratic state that respects international law," the MEP said.

Politicians from the German Greens and the Free Democratic Party (FDP) have proposed granting asylum in Germany to Russian citizens who want to escape the mobilization declared in Russia, Germany's Der Spiegel news magazine reported. Both parties are members of the coalition governing Germany.