May 15, 2010

How Convenient

Previously, I commented on what I figured to have been the most likely fate of the pirates who’d made the mistake of plying their trade on a Russian vessel.

Well, according to the Wall Street Journal:

Ten pirates released from a Russian warship 300 miles out to sea may have drowned, according to Russian officials and colleagues of the pirates, raising fears of retaliation against other vessels plying East African waters.

The pirates were captured last week after they hijacked the Moscow University, a Liberian-flagged, Russian-operated oil tanker sailing off the Somali coast. A Russian warship came to the ship’s rescue and apprehended the pirates. But after determining it would be too difficult to obtain a conviction, Russian officials said that they dropped plans to take the pirates to Moscow for trial.

Yeah, so…

Instead, like many other warships that have intercepted pirate skiffs, the Russian marines released the pirates — but not before removing weapons and navigation equipment from the boat several hundred miles from shore. Russian officials gave no explanation for removing the navigation equipment.

No explanation, indeed.

A Russian Defense Ministry spokesperson said radio signals from the boat disappeared about an hour after the release. “That could mean that they are dead,” the spokesperson said.

“Could mean”, yeah.

Fellow pirates in Somalia also said they lost contact with the boat after their separation from the Russian warship. “We will hold Russia responsible if any harm comes to them,” said a pirate commander, Abdi Dhagaweyne, in a telephone interview. “I’m not sure of their safety now because we have since lost contact.”

I hope they’re having a swell time where they belong, down there in Davy Jones’ Locker, where all “good” pirates end up. Now, if they would make some room for captured terrorists, kind of the ultimate waterboarding, justice would really be served.

I like this: “We will hold Russia responsible if any harm comes to them,” said a two bit floating pissant pirate commander, who, on “holding Russia responsible”, could prove only to emulate the famed Black Knight. :-)

by @ 5:27 pm. Filed under Global Security, Russia
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4 Responses to “How Convenient”

  1. BB-Idaho Says:

    England routinely hung pirates from the gibbet. Unless they operated under marque against the Spanish main. Sort of a ‘your pirates are bad, ours our good’ approach. ‘Course in those days of yore, you could get hung for poaching a rabbit or cutting firewood
    in Nottingham. :)

  2. Seth Says:

    BB –

    The Brits valued property ownership above all other considerations when dealing with the rank-&-file.

    In the “ours are good” department, I wonder if Sir Francis Drake endorsed the hanging of poachers.

  3. BB-Idaho Says:

    “.. to emulate the famed Black Knight” Fiesty one, he. Probably should have never taken up arms and become a Friar instead…

  4. Seth Says:

    BB –

    That scene has always been one of my favorites from “Holy Grail”. If the pirates decide to “hold the Russians responsible” in a confrontational manner, the results will play out exactly like that; Ivan will deplete the pirate/comedian labor pool dramatically, their generals and admirals finally getting the chance to test out all the hardware and strategies they never got to try using (the reason there’s still a Russia) against us. :-)