Inside Russia's tactics to 'flood' Europe with migrants as a weapon of war 

On a quiet summer evening at the Kapitan Andreevo checkpoint, a remote stretch of land on Bulgaria’s border, a police inspection of a lorry heading for the Netherlands uncovered a worrying cargo.

Inside were 20 inflatable boats, each destined for migrants attempting to cross the English Channel – the second such haul in just three weeks.

The crossing has become a key gateway for European migrant smuggling operations. This year alone, border officials have seized enough boats to facilitate over 4,000 dangerous Channel crossings.

These boats, made in China and shipped across the globe, are more than just a tool of illegal immigration. They are suspected to be part of a larger agenda in Russia’s campaign to destabilise the continent , Western intelligence officials have told The i Pap