Social media accounts with ties to the Russian military helped spread far-right narratives during the recent migration crisis in Ceuta, Spain's North African enclave, according to an analysis by 411, a counter-disinformation group. The findings, first reported by the Guardian, add to growing evidence that Kremlin-linked networks are exploiting European migration crises to sow division.

The crisis began in late July 2026, when tens of thousands of people crossed the border from Morocco into Ceuta, many swimming around the border barrier. Ceuta's president, Juan Jesús Vivas, said around 60,000 migrants entered the territory during the surge, a figure equivalent to roughly 70% of the enclave's normal population. Spanish authorities said dozens of people died attempting the crossing, with some estimates rising above 80 deaths.

How the narrative spread

According to 411's analysis, accounts connected to the Russian military helped far-right messaging reach more than 500,000 people in the days following the influx. The group's broader review covered roughly 4.5 million social media posts and found that related content was reproduced in seven languages, generating over 720,000 views within six hours of one particular surge in activity on 1 August.

Researchers traced one origin of the propaganda to Rybar, a Telegram channel with links to Russian intelligence whose parent company has faced European sanctions. A network of what researchers called 'repeater' accounts then amplified Rybar's posts, including channels connected to the Pravda network, an operation researchers have previously linked to pro-Kremlin influence campaigns across Europe.

“"We keep seeing this across Europe and we find it very interesting. It seems like there is some type of machinery in place, or structure," said Saman Nazari, lead researcher at Alliance4Europe, a Brussels-based nonprofit.”

Nazari added that such coordinated escalations are becoming more frequent whenever a crisis unfolds in Europe, suggesting the groups behind them have grown more organised and better resourced than in previous years.

Migrants' own coordination, and a separate propaganda campaign

The 411 analysis also confirmed earlier reports of extensive peer-to-peer discussion among potential migrants themselves, largely in comments beneath viral videos of the crossings, offering practical advice on how to attempt the journey. Researchers described this activity as organic, coming from small, anonymous accounts rather than any identifiable recruiter network, distinguishing it from the separate, coordinated far-right amplification campaign that followed.

The disinformation dimension of the Ceuta crisis has also drawn attention from Kyiv. Ukraine's foreign minister, Andrii Sybiha, said analysts had identified a pro-Russian media network led by Pravda and the state broadcaster RT that published more than 1,500 items about the Ceuta crisis, including 300 by the Spanish-language edition of Pravda alone. Sybiha said Russia has for years used migration to fuel fear and destabilise European countries, and called on European governments to ban Russian propaganda outlets outright.

For European readers, the episode underscores a pattern documented repeatedly by researchers at bodies such as the EU's disinformation monitoring network: genuine, chaotic events at Europe's borders are quickly seized upon by Russia-linked accounts to inflame anti-migrant sentiment and, in turn, to feed distrust of EU institutions. Similar dynamics have previously been observed around border tensions in Poland and Belarus, and around elections in France, Germany and Italy.

The crisis prompted some EU governments, including Italy and the Czech Republic, to call for tighter Schengen rules regarding Spain, while European Commission president Ursula von der Leyen pledged additional support for Madrid. Spanish officials have said most of the migrants who entered Ceuta during the surge have since returned to Morocco.

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