Thread by @ArturRehi

The Estonian initiative currently being discussed in the EU to ban former Russian army combatants from entering the Schengen area should become a model for others. And here is why. The issue is not only that they pose a threat to society through the risk of committing crimes -
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these individuals also pose a threat to state integrity. At present, citizens from more than 120 countries and unrecognized territories are fighting on Russia’s side. The largest numbers of mercenaries come from countries such as Kazakhstan, Uzbekistan, Azerbaijan, Belarus, Nepal

Armenia, Moldova, Georgia, China, India, Egypt, as well as numerous African countries. These individuals are trained fighters who have undergone military preparation in an army where nearly 200,000 personnel are criminals recruited from penal colonies, pre-trial detention centers

and prisons. This is an army whose primary strategy involves genocide and war crimes. They have experience handling weapons and explosives and are familiar with the use of drone tactics. The key point is this. The FSB has been building a global intelligence network for decades,

and former combatants are perfectly suited for the role of saboteurs. They are willing to kill for money. The FSB has full information on these former combatants and actively recruits them. At present, more than 24,000 foreign citizens are already fighting under the Russian flag.

Once they return home, what could even 50-100 trained fighters do in their own countries? That could be enough to carry out a coup. If no action is taken, the FSB will use these individuals to destabilize situations in almost any part of the world, whether through terrorist

attacks, armed unrest, or coups. Therefore, it is in the interest of any country to which former Russian army soldiers may return to contain this threat. There are different possible measures - banning entry, prosecuting them for mercenarism, or placing them under strict

surveillance - but action must be taken. Despite the catastrophic situation for Russia in the war with Ukraine, the FSB remains an alarmingly effective structure whose operational scale we are only beginning to understand. They know exactly where to find the agents they need

and how to approach them. The FSB, the KGB, the NKVD - Russian security services have vast experience in this kind of activity. The number of foreign mercenaries in the Russian army continues to grow every day. Therefore, a ban on entry into Schengen countries is a critically

necessary measure. One can only hope that countries outside the EU will follow this example, otherwise the “echo of war” will continue to be heard for a long time in the form of armed groups acting in the interests of the FSB across the world. Even if the Putin system collapses,

the FSB will survive. After the fall of the Soviet Union, the KGB simply changed its name and continued its work. It took only a few years for it to fully reestablish control over Russia. The threat will not disappear with Putin’s departure. And our task is to assess the situation soberly and take action.