MOSCOW, July 31. /TASS/. Russian Presidential Special Representative for Investment and Economic Cooperation with Foreign Countries and CEO of the Russian Direct Investment Fund (RDIF) Kirill Dmitriev compared the influx of illegal migrants into the Spanish autonomous city of Ceuta on the northern coast of Africa to the fall of Rome under the barbarian invasion in AD 410.

"Barbarians at the Gate: 410 AD vs Now," Dmitriev wrote on X, accompanying the post with Thomas Cole's painting "Destruction" from "The Course of Empire" series and a photograph from Ceuta.

According to Spanish media reports, more than 1,500 migrants have reached Ceuta from Morocco by swimming over the past week, while others crossed on foot. Other reports say as many as 20,000 people may have entered the autonomous city.

The exact number of arrivals has not yet been confirmed. Spain has deployed the military to Ceuta amid the migration crisis to help maintain security.