Düsseldorf (dpa / lnw) - North Rhine-Westphalia's Prime Minister Hendrik Wüst (CDU) has accused Kremlin chief Vladimir Putin of wanting to destabilize Europe with the mass expulsion of people from Ukraine. With drones and rockets, Russia is bringing death and destruction to Ukrainian cities far away from the front line every day, Wüst said on Friday in the North Rhine-Westphalia state parliament. "That's a cynical intention. Putin doesn't want people to feel safe anywhere in Ukraine." The Russian head of state is using disinformation and energy as a weapon against the West. "Putin's goal is to destabilize Europe, to throw it off balance, to shatter the cohesion of our free societies," said Wüst. "We won't allow that."
The destruction of the infrastructure and houses is an "act of terrorism against the civilian population," said Wüst. People were to be forced to flee without electricity, water or heating. "Putin is playing a bloody, inhumane game with people in dire need." The Kremlin chief obviously wanted large numbers of refugees to destabilize Europe, that there were disputes in the EU about distribution, that there was a mood against refugees and that populist parties were given a boost, said the CDU politician. Wüst emphasized that NRW would respond to Putin's misanthropy with solidarity, cohesion and humanity.
According to the UN refugee agency UNHCR, Russia's invasion of Ukraine has led to the largest displacement of people in decades. Around 14 million people have been displaced since the war began on February 24. Around a quarter of a million people from the Ukraine came to NRW alone.
