The study of Political Capital and the Friedrich-Ebert-Stiftung in Budapest offers a coherent view of the situation in the Western Balkans with regards to the impact of the refugee crisis, focussing on the policy and security implications of the refugee crisis in the region. After presenting a short overview of the migration crisis, the study is representing alternative migration routes and continues with one of the most important questions of the Western Balkans� security policy: how does Russia influence the region? The paper describes the policy responses of Serbia, Croatia and Macedonia to the migration crisis, how their policies are effected by the EU-Turkey deal and what possible impact the migration crisis may have on the Western Balkan countries� ethnic conflicts.