Photos from Ceuta become Kremlin's new weapon in Europe, Ukraine's official says
Photo: Acting Ukrainian Foreign Minister Andrii Sybiha (facebook.com/andrij.sybiha)
A pro-Russian media network is using photos from the Spanish enclave of Ceuta to destabilize EU countries. In just a few days, more than 1,500 articles on the issue were published by European outlets that analysts identify as pro-Russian, according to the Acting Minister of Foreign Affairs of Ukraine, Andrii Sybiha.
Scale of the campaign
According to the acting foreign minister, more than 1,500 publications related to the situation in Ceuta have appeared across the pro-Russian media network.
Analysts say the network is led by Pravda and RT (Russia Today). Pravda Spanish published nearly 300 such articles, while every language edition of RT released over 25 news items on this topic.
Russia's propaganda goal
Sybiha stressed that Moscow has spent years exploiting migration and other sensitive issues to fuel fear and destabilize European countries.
According to him, it is not about the situation in Ceuta itself, but about how Russia attempts to use any topic for its own interests.
Minister's proposal
The only way to protect the public from such interference is to "cut it off," the acting foreign minister said.
He called for a complete ban on all Russian propaganda outlets in every European country that takes national security seriously.
As previously reported, a major migration crisis has unfolded in the Spanish enclave of Ceuta in North Africa.
In just one day, thousands of migrants crossed the border from Morocco into the enclave, prompting Spain to deploy the army to support the Civil Guard.
The situation has already affected the political climate in the European Union, with calls emerging in Europe to suspend Spain's participation in the Schengen Area.
