Lampedusa: Chaos at island epicentre of European migrant crisis ‘sanitised’ for leaders’ visit
Just before the arrival of the Italian Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni and the EU Commission President Ursula von der Leyen, we made a quick inspection of the island of Lampedusa.
This week more than 11,560 migrants have journeyed to this small, stubbly spot in the central Mediterranean, making it both the location and physical symbol of Europe’s current migration crisis.
What we found, as we viewed the central pier at the port and the reception centre inland, was something of an alternative universe.
On Saturday, hundreds of migrants had queued on the dock as their boats and creaky vessels arrived in port.
On Sunday, we found no one.
At the reception centre, known locally as the “hotspot”, we found local workers sweeping the grounds and picking up litter.
Significantly, the number of migrants housed within the centre has been greatly reduced.
After days of chaos, the island had been sanitised to a certain extent.
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Meloni answers question from Sky News
This was understandable on grounds of security.
The reception centre has a formal capacity of 400, but there were upwards of 3,000 in the place on Saturday.
At one stage, migrants fought their way out as they complained of hunger, overcrowding and non-existent hygiene provisions.
Presenting such scenes to Ms von der Leyen and Ms Meloni would have been unacceptable – certainly to their security teams.
But when they told a news conference they needed to travel to Lampedusa to better understand the issues, we wondered if they would get the full story.
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The commission president said: “It’s very important for me to be here together with you.
“The local community has continued to do its utmost to support the men and women and children who have made it to the island.”
This speedy reimposition of control made for a startling contrast and suggests the Italian authorities do have the capacity to temporarily house and process thousands of migrants on Lampedusa and other coastal communities.
What is in dispute here is responsibility and cost.
The reception centre had been heavily overcrowded on Saturday
Ms Meloni was clear in her remarks that Italy should not bear the full weight of migration and asylum in the EU.
“If we don’t work seriously all together to fight the illegal departures, the numbers of this phenomenon will not only overwhelm the border countries but all of the others,” she said.
The Italian leader may have softened her stance against the EU since coming to power, but she is still advocating for an “efficient” naval blockade of the North African coast.
Additionally, she wants the EU to forge agreements with countries of origin that allow for the rapid repatriation of migrants.
What she got from Ms von der Leyen was a 10-point EU action plan that seemed light on specific details.
Much like British politicians, the commission president did talk about the “ruthless” and “brutal” smugglers and criminal gangs that she blamed for transporting people to Lampedusa.
But the smugglers and gangs are an easy target.
European leaders (including British ones) know the gangs are servicing a near-limitless demand for safety, security and better life outcomes for many in Africa and the Middle East.
Doing something about it is going to take a far longer and more comprehensive action plan.
World
Viktor Sokolov: Top Russian admiral appears in video call – after Ukraine claimed he was killed in missile strike
A top Russian admiral has appeared in a video call – a day after Ukrainian special forces claimed he had been killed in a missile strike.
Admiral Viktor Sokolov – the commander of Russia’s Black Sea Fleet and one of Russia’s most senior naval officers – was reportedly killed in last week’s strike on the naval port of Sevastopol, according to Ukrainian officials.
The Russian Defence Ministry did not immediately respond when asked by news agencies to confirm or deny if Mr Sokolov had been killed.
However, the ministry released a video on Tuesday appearing to show Mr Sokolov attending a conference with other top Russian military officials via video link.
Mr Sokolov was not seen speaking in the footage of the conference – led by Russia’s defence minister Sergei Shoigu.
It is not clear when the footage was filmed, though Russia’s defence ministry claimed the meeting took place on Tuesday.
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Mr Sokolov (pictured left) appeared at a military conference via video link – though it is not clear when the footage was taken
Ukraine special forces said on Telegram: “Since the Russians were urgently forced to publish a response with Sokolov allegedly alive, our units are clarifying the information.”
In the video, Mr Shoigu said more than 17,000 Ukrainian soldiers had been killed in September and that more than 2,700 weapons, including seven American Bradley fighting vehicles, had been destroyed.
Both Russia and Ukraine have at times exaggerated enemy losses in the war, while also saying little about their own losses.
On Monday, Ukraine’s special forces claimed they had killed Mr Sokolov and 33 other officers in last week’s missile attack on the headquarters of Russia’s Black Sea Fleet in Sevastopol.
“After the strike on the headquarters of the Russian Black Sea Fleet, 34 officers died, including the commander of the Russian Black Sea Fleet,” Ukraine’s special forces said on the Telegram messaging app.
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“Another 105 occupiers were wounded. The headquarters building cannot be restored.”
Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov declined to comment on Ukraine’s claim that it had killed Mr Sokolov, instead referring reporters to the defence ministry.
A screengrab from social media shows smoke billowing from the top of a building, alleged to be the Black Sea Fleet Headquarters, following a missile attack in Sevastopol
Video appeared to show the strike on the Black Sea headquarters in Sevastopol
In a statement after the attack, the Russian defence ministry said one serviceman was missing, revising an earlier statement that the man had been killed.
Moscow-installed authorities in Sevastopol also said they were taking extra measures to address Ukraine’s increased attacks on Crimea.
The attack came after an earlier strike on Sevastopol, in which a Russian submarine and warship were damaged.
A Ukrainian and a Western source said that British Storm Shadow cruise missiles were deployed in the attack on the port of Crimea, which Russia annexed in 2014.
Russian opposition leader Alexei Navalny has lost his appeal against a 19-year sentence added to his existing jail term.
It was imposed in August after he was convicted on six charges related to alleged extremist activity – which he denied.
The appeal was rejected by a judge in Moscow, with Mr Navalny – wearing a black prison uniform – joining by video link from prison.
Media were not allowed to witness proceedings apart from the reading of the verdict.
The 19-year sentence was imposed on top of 11 and a half years that he was already serving after being convicted of fraud and other charges.
Mr Navalny has said all the charges are politically motivated and an attempt to silence his criticism of President Vladimir Putin‘s repressive regime and the war in Ukraine.
His political movement has been outlawed and declared “extremist”, with its main players either being jailed or fleeing Russia.
President Putin makes a point of never referring to Mr Navalny by name as part of an attempt by authorities to portray him as irrelevant.
Mr Navalny pictured on a video feed at his sentencing in August
The 47-year-old politician returned to the country voluntarily in 2021 after nearly dying when he was poisoned with a nerve agent in a suspected Russian plot.
He was immediately arrested when he landed and is imprisoned in Melekhovo, about 145 miles (235 km) east of Moscow.
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Mr Navalny said in the summer that he had been forced to listen to the same speech by President Putin for more than 100 days in a row.
A TV technician who worked for Mr Navalny, sentenced at the same trial in August, also had his appeal against an eight-year sentence rejected on Tuesday.
Daniel Kholodny shouted “Alexei, see you!” just before the video feed of the hearing ended, with Mr Navalny waving his hand in response.
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