 Putin, behind European Union migrant crisis, Polish diplomat, a senior Polish diplomat, has suggested that the recent surge in illegal immigrants arriving on the Italian island of Lampedusa might be a component of a Russian hybrid operation designed to erode the European Union's support for Ukraine. The concern comes in light of a recent report from the Italian Interior Ministry, which indicates that over 89,000 people have entered Italy illegally this year. Lampedusa, an overcrowded Mediterranean island, remains a prominent destination for these arrivals. Someone is helping these people walk hundreds, if not thousands, of kilometers from Nigeria and Central African countries to the Mediterranean Sea. Polish Deputy Foreign Minister Arkadius Molochik said in an interview with Polish Radio, Someone who has an interest in it, and Russia undoubtedly has an interest in it, he added. He asserted that Russian President Vladimir Putin's objective is to destabilize the situation in Western Europe. Molochik suggested that the current state of confusion and unrest brought on by illegal immigrants serves as a means to divert attention away from the ongoing crisis in Ukraine. According to him, Putin is believed to be exerting influence behind the scenes in smuggling individuals into the EU, often facilitated by criminal groups. And it was successful because today the war in Ukraine is fading into the background and the entire EU is talking about what is happening in Lampedusa, the diplomat stated.