In an interview with AFP, Hans Leijtens, executive director of the European Border and Coast Guard Agency Frontex, announces "a real significant increase" of illegal border crossings on the Mediterranean route. He evokes an increase of "300 percent" compared to the same period last year. "We have never seen such an increase through the central med since 2016" he adds. Hans Leijtens also comments about the Frontex Polish plane intercepted by a Russian jet as it was patrolling over the Black Sea: "I think it's not such a special threat to Frontex but to border guarding in general right now in Europe. We have seen in the past that has been in the Russian and Belarusian playbook, I'm sure it's still there and I think it's a matter of time until they will deploy it". IMAGES AND SOUNDBITES