The Kremlin has rejected accusations by Spanish Prime Minister Pedro Sanchez that Russian and Israeli networks have spread disinformation during the migrant crisis in Ceuta. Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov said Russia had no role in fueling the crisis and called the claims unfounded.
The statement comes after Sanchez accused networks linked to Russia, Israel and far-right groups of spreading fake news on social media, which he said contributed to the mass influx of migrants into the Spanish enclave of Ceuta. Russia and Israel have categorically denied these accusations.
He said both countries had used the crisis to criticize Madrid over dissatisfaction with its stance on the wars in Ukraine and Gaza.
Spanish authorities have said that videos on Instagram, TikTok and other social media are spreading misleading claims that migrants arriving in Ceuta by sea can stay in Spain, encouraging thousands of people to try to cross the border.
According to the Spanish prime minister, an investigation by the EU's diplomatic service, the EEAS, had shown that Russian and Israeli networks had been behind the spread of disinformation, in collaboration with far-right networks.
Earlier, Israeli Foreign Minister Gideon Sa'ar said in a post on X that Sanchez was "blatantly lying" when he accused Israel of spreading misleading information about Ceuta, calling it an attempt to distract attention from domestic policy failures.
The crisis in Ceuta erupted in late July, when tens of thousands of migrants entered Spanish territory from Morocco, causing political tensions and strong debates in Spain and the European Union.