Spanish Prime Minister Pedro Sánchez said in an interview with Cadena SER radio that networks linked to Russia were involved in spreading disinformation that contributed to the mass entry of migrants into Ceuta on July 30–31. He also mentioned Israeli accounts and an “ultra-right international” that, he said, systematically uses migration to attack Spain and Europe.
According to the authorities, more than 70,000 people irregularly crossed the border from Morocco over those days — an unprecedented surge at one of the European Union’s only two land borders with Africa. Local authorities in Ceuta reported dozens of deaths, including people who drowned while trying to swim to Spanish territory. Most of those who arrived soon returned to Morocco, but several thousand remained in the enclave, including minors.
Sánchez linked the surge to a distorted reading of a Spanish Supreme Court ruling from early July. The court limited the simplified return of people who arrive by sea rather than over the fence. On social media, including Instagram and TikTok, this was presented as meaning that anyone who swam to Ceuta could no longer be sent back. The prime minister called those claims false and said they were also spread by criminal groups involved in people smuggling.
The head of government cited an analysis by the European External Action Service (EEAS). According to him, Russian and Israeli networks, together with far-right accounts, amplified the disinformation and used the crisis to criticize Madrid over Spain’s positions on the wars in Ukraine and Gaza. Sánchez did not present specific evidence on air. He firmly rejected claims that Moroccan authorities had deliberately facilitated the crossings.
Sánchez stressed that the investigation into the causes of the breach is continuing and that the crisis can be resolved only through cooperation, not distrust toward Morocco. The government pledged additional aid for Ceuta.