Croatia Cracks Down on Migrants as Europe Beefs Up Border Checks

Representation photo: Afghan nationals travel with their belongings at the back of a van, as they head back to Afghanistan after Pakistan gave a last warning to undocumented migrants to leave, on a road in Peshawar, Pakistan, November 4, 2023. REUTERS/Fayaz Aziz
Representation photo: Afghan nationals travel with their belongings at the back of a van, as they head back to Afghanistan after Pakistan gave a last warning to undocumented migrants to leave, on a road in Peshawar, Pakistan, November 4, 2023. REUTERS/Fayaz Aziz
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Croatia Cracks Down on Migrants as Europe Beefs Up Border Checks

Representation photo: Afghan nationals travel with their belongings at the back of a van, as they head back to Afghanistan after Pakistan gave a last warning to undocumented migrants to leave, on a road in Peshawar, Pakistan, November 4, 2023. REUTERS/Fayaz Aziz
Representation photo: Afghan nationals travel with their belongings at the back of a van, as they head back to Afghanistan after Pakistan gave a last warning to undocumented migrants to leave, on a road in Peshawar, Pakistan, November 4, 2023. REUTERS/Fayaz Aziz

It took Croatia years to finally enter into Europe's passport-free travel zone that promised to ease access for other European nationals traveling to the country and boost its tourism-driven economy.
But less than a year since its border crossings with European Union peers were dismantled, temporary checks have been reintroduced amid a surge in illegal migration across the region, AFP said.
Neighboring Slovenia re-introduced checks along its borders last month, following similar moves by Italy and other EU countries.
"People ask themselves what kind of fence could stop these people who passed so many frontiers and countries," said Perica Matijevic, the head of the Krnjak municipality near Croatia's border with Bosnia that has been a hot-spot for crossings.
Matijevic, who referred to a registration camp for incoming migrants that is being prepared in the area, is not alone in his weariness.
Locals in the scarcely populated area complain that groups of migrants -- almost all of whom are young men -- moving through the area have only increased anxieties.
"One should feel safe in his own house but migrants pass through our yards ... there were thefts, it's not pleasant," said economics student Sara Matijevic from the village of Dugi Dol, close to where the camp will open.
'Like animals'
Croatia, which guards one of EU's longest external land borders, has long been a magnet for illegal migrants hoping to enter the bloc.
Over the years, the country gained an infamous reputation for fiercely patrolling its borders, leading to accusations that its authorities used violence to push back EU-bound refugees.
In 2021, Zagreb was forced to admit as much following the publication of an investigation by major European media outlets that uncovered alleged systematic targeting of refugees by special units in Croatia, Greece and Romania.
Migrants said little has changed.
Atefa, a 29-year-old Afghan refugee who did not provide her surname for security reasons, said Croatian police treated her and eight fellow migrants "like animals".
Along with forcing them to collect garbage and pouring water in their shoes, officers groped women and made obscene noises, she told AFP.
"My breasts are still hurting me ... and they did all that with a smile," Atefa said from a camp in Bosnia's Bihac.
Like many Afghans, Atefa left the war-torn country two years ago as the Taliban seized control following years of conflict.
The ongoing humanitarian crisis in Afghanistan along with a massive earthquake in Türkiye and Syria in February and renewed unrest in the Middle East has left many fearing that the surge in illegal migration will continue.
At the Bregana-Obrezje crossing, one of Croatia's 73 former land border posts with other EU countries, travelers and residents said that the temporary checks were necessary.
"I don't mind border controls ... it all goes smoothly," said Visnja Krajnovic, a retired economist from Bregana, who said she sees migrants on a daily basis in her hometown along the Slovenian border.
Stripped and beaten
Last year, nearly half of the more than 300,000 EU-bound migrants used the so-called Balkans route, the highest number since the 2015-2016 refugee crisis, according to the bloc's border surveillance agency Frontex.
During the first 10 months this year nearly 100,000 migrants relied on the route with almost 63,000 -- notably Afghans, followed by Turks, Moroccans and Pakistanis -- crossing illegally into Croatia, official figures show.
The number represents a 73 percent jump compared with the same period last year.
This year a total of 2,559 persons reported violent pushbacks to Bosnia from Croatia, mirroring figures from 2022, according to the Danish Refugee Council.
But rights groups warn that violence against refugees will likely increase as security is beefed up across Croatia's borders.
For Raz Mohammad Saifi, 21, the years-long sojourn from his native Afghanistan to the Croatian border has been an arduous and sometimes violent journey that has seen him travel overland from Turkey to Bosnia.
After entering Croatia, Saifi said he was assaulted by police.
"When the police caught us, they stripped and searched us, took our mobile phones, money, shoes," Saifi told AFP, saying police also sicced dogs on him and others before forcing the group to cross a river back into Bosnia.
Residents from the border village of Trzac gave Saifi and four others clothes and shoes before an aid group organized the men's transport to a nearby camp.
Despite the beatings, Saifi has refused to give up on his dream of living in France, while stressing that he and others meant no harm to locals who remained fearful of migrants.
"If I wanted to be a criminal, if I was willing to kill, I would have stayed in Afghanistan," he said.



China Calls Zelenskyy's Remarks on Chinese Fighters in Ukraine 'Irresponsible'

In this photo provided by Ukraine's 65th Mechanised Brigade press service, Ukrainian servicemen fire a multiple launch rocket system based on a pickup truck in the Zaporizhzhia region, Ukraine, Tuesday, April 8, 2025, (Andriy Andriyenko/Ukraine's 65th Mechanised Brigade via AP)Share
In this photo provided by Ukraine's 65th Mechanised Brigade press service, Ukrainian servicemen fire a multiple launch rocket system based on a pickup truck in the Zaporizhzhia region, Ukraine, Tuesday, April 8, 2025, (Andriy Andriyenko/Ukraine's 65th Mechanised Brigade via AP)Share
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China Calls Zelenskyy's Remarks on Chinese Fighters in Ukraine 'Irresponsible'

In this photo provided by Ukraine's 65th Mechanised Brigade press service, Ukrainian servicemen fire a multiple launch rocket system based on a pickup truck in the Zaporizhzhia region, Ukraine, Tuesday, April 8, 2025, (Andriy Andriyenko/Ukraine's 65th Mechanised Brigade via AP)Share
In this photo provided by Ukraine's 65th Mechanised Brigade press service, Ukrainian servicemen fire a multiple launch rocket system based on a pickup truck in the Zaporizhzhia region, Ukraine, Tuesday, April 8, 2025, (Andriy Andriyenko/Ukraine's 65th Mechanised Brigade via AP)Share

China on Thursday described as “irresponsible" accusations by Ukraine's President Volodymyr Zelenskyy that Russia is actively recruiting Chinese citizens to fight alongside its forces in the Ukraine war.

Zelenskyy said Wednesday that over 150 such mercenaries are already active on the battlefield with Beijing’s knowledge. He spoke after the capture this week of two Chinese nationals who were fighting for Russia in eastern Ukraine.

Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesperson Lin Jian repeated China's assertions that it supports and promotes a peaceful settlement to the conflict and that the Chinese government “always asks Chinese nationals to stay away from areas of armed conflict, avoid any form of involvement in armed conflict, and in particular avoid participation in any party’s military operations.”

“We call on the relevant party to be correct and sober about China’s role and refrain from making irresponsible remarks,” Lin said at a daily briefing in response to a question about Zelenskyy's comments, The AP news reported.

The two captured Chinese nationals were identified as Wang Guangjun, born in 1991 and Zhang Renbo, born in 1998.

China and Russia are close geostrategic partners. Just days before Russia's full-on invasion of Ukraine three years ago, Russian President Vladimir Putin and his Chinese counterpart Xi Jinping signed a document declaring a “friendship without limits” between their nations, although China has since dropped the phrase as the war grinds on.

China is not known to have provided troops or armaments directly to Russia, but has provided strong diplomatic support and an economic lifeline through the purchase of oil, gas and minerals and the vast majority of “dual-use” goods such as engines that have both military and civilian purposes.

Despite Beijing's denials, Russia is actively recruiting Chinese citizens to fight alongside its forces in the Ukraine war with over 150 such mercenaries already active in the battle with Beijing’s knowledge, Zelenskyy said on Wednesday.

Citing intelligence reports, Zelenskyy said Russia was recruiting Chinese citizens through social media by sharing news and videos to entice fresh mercenaries. Zelenskyy said Beijing was aware of the recruitment campaign.

“The Chinese issue is serious,” he said, in a briefing with reporters. “There are 155 people with surnames, with passport data, 155 Chinese citizens fighting against Ukrainians on the territory of Ukraine. We are collecting information; we believe that there are many more of them.

“The scheme of how they recruit them is clear. One of the schemes is through social networks, in particular Tik-Tok and other Chinese social networks, where Russians distribute advertising videos,” he added, saying that “officially Beijing knows about this. Russians distribute advertising videos about recruitment through Chinese social networks.”

He said it was “not secret recruitment,” although parts of it might be covert.

Documents listing the names, passport numbers and personal details of the Chinese recruits known to Ukrainian intelligence were shared with journalists. They are active in the 70th, 71st and 255th Russian motorized rifle regiments, Zelenskyy said.

Some photos of known Chinese mercenaries were also shared. The documents detail when recruits arrived at Russian military training centers and when they departed for military service.

The recruits traveled to Moscow and underwent medical examinations before 1 to 2 months of military training and then deployment to Ukraine, Zelenskyy said.

Both sides have employed mercenaries and other foreign fighters in the war, including thousands of North Koreans soldiers fighting for Russia on Russian territory. Their effectiveness has been negligible, but their presence points to the generous pay Russia is offering as well as troubles it is having recruiting from among Russians, many of whom have fled abroad to avoid conscription.

Zelenskyy said he is willing to exchange the Chinese fighters for Ukrainian soldiers held captive by Russia. The two men were fighting in different Russian military brigades and were captured in two different villages in the Donetsk region. Zelenskyy said the two were being held by the Ukrainian Security Service in Kyiv.

“We believe that the others are in eastern Ukraine, but in fact we need to look. Here are two different villages, two different brigades. And the brigade, you know, holds a fairly long section,” Zelenskyy said.

The Ukrainian president stepped back from accusing Beijing of having an overt policy of deploying mercenaries to Ukraine, saying he was not sure yet what China’s intentions were.