Putin weaponizing migration to destabilize Europe, Kyiv says

Russian President Vladimir Putin is seeking to drive migration to Europe to destabilize governments and weaken support for Ukraine ahead of key upcoming elections, Foreign Minister Andrii Sybiha said on Sept. 16.

"The Black Sea blockade is part of his plan," Sybiha said, as Russian strikes against ports and vessels in Ukrainian waters are choking off Ukraine's maritime exports, a key source of food for countries across Africa, the Middle East, and Asia.

This strategy not only takes a humanitarian toll on families directly dependent on these supplies, but is also intended to drive an influx of migrants toward the European borders, according to Ukraine's chief diplomat.

"Moscow believes its strategy will create tension, sow division, strengthen radical anti-European movements, and ultimately weaken Europe's support for Ukraine," Sybiha commented on X.

The comments come as the anti-immigration, Russian-friendly Alternative for Germany (AfD) party secured a historic win in a regional election on Sept. 6, and France's far-right opposition leader Marine Le Pen is a frontrunner for the French presidential run next year.

Next year will also see parliamentary elections in Spain — where the anti-immigration Vox party polls third at around 18% — and in Italy, where right-wing but Ukraine-friendly Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni faces growing pressure from the new far-right National Future movement.

A wave of far-right victories could weaken the support for Ukraine across the European bloc, which has become a key backer of Kyiv after U.S. President Donald Trump cut off much of the American support.

"Putin knows that migration is one of the most sensitive and divisive issues in European election campaigns — especially after seeing how effectively Russian-linked networks exploited the recent Ceuta crisis," Sybiha said.

Spanish Prime Minister Pedro Sanchez previously accused Russian and Israeli disinformation networks of fueling tensions over an August rush of migrants from Morocco into the Spanish exclave of Ceuta.

Next to the Black Sea blockade, Moscow also continues using its ally, Belarusian dictator Alexander Lukashenko, to smuggle migrants across the EU's northeastern borders, Sybiha added.

While Russia has been striking Ukrainian ports throughout the full-scale war, Kyiv this summer also expanded the list of targets for its drone attacks to Russian ports in the Black and Azov seas, disrupting Russia's own food exports.

The escalation of hostilities in the Black Sea has driven a surge in global food prices, which had already been rising since the start of the U.S.-Iran War in late February.