21st Century Wire says…
According to reports this week, a Russian Naval submarine, the Novorossiysk, passed through the English Channel last week and was allowed to drop anchor and refuel just 19 miles off the coast Britain’s tiny, but strategically important territory of Gibraltar. What has followed is a fabricate international controversy – ginned-up by the usual suspects.
British-controlled government of Gibraltar fired the first salvo. According to the Mail Online, a vice chairman for the All Party Parliamentary Group on Gibraltar, said: “Spain has consistently ignored the borders of Gibraltar’s territorial waters, rammed their ships, and even fired shots at boats filled with tourists.” He finished off by adding, “And now, to cap it all off, they are allowing the navy of an unfriendly power to park their submarine less than 18 miles away.”
Anglo-American meme: “Putin did it!”
Not surprisingly, the Heritage Foundation, which describes itself as a think tank promoting “conservative public policy”, is leading the PR spin campaign to paint the Russia-Gibraltar-Spain story as a “threat” to Europe. In addition to Russiaphobia, Heritage is also busy trying to disrupt the P5+1 Iranian nuclear negotiations nudge Washington law makers close to what they believe is another ‘just war’ in the Middle East by confronting their latest big “threat” which is Iran. In an effort to deflect attention away from one of its key support networks (the Israeli Lobby), by deploying classic doublespeak, Heritage “scholars” are spinning to conspiracy theory that an Iranian nuclear deal will actually INCREASE the risks of war in the Middle East.
By now, Americans should know exactly what the Heritage Foundation is – a corporate propaganda mill masquerading as a ‘think tank’ (it’s debatable if anyone is actually thinking much in that tank). It’s staffed with failed academic and political operatives who could not achieve any real academic success and are now “fellows” for hire. They partner with organizations that routinely undermine the American democratic system, like ALEC. This is what Heritage and others like it do every day, and they receive tens of millions per year from military industrial complex-related interests to keep doing it.
It’s interesting to note that while Washington and London continue to run around warning of the ‘Russian Threat’, both US and UK and NATO (via member Turkey) have played the lead role in fomenting and stoking up the civil war and complete collapse of the nation state of Syria, admittedly in order to install a more western-friendly government there.
Therefore, the ‘Russian threat’ provides a nice distraction for business as usual…
The Russian crew of the Novorossiysk enjoyed a night on the town in Ceuta, just 19 miles off Gibraltar.
Jamie Merrill
The Independent
Security sources now fear that the state-of-the-art Novorossiysk, which passed through the English Channel last week, may now operate from a Russian naval base on the annexed Ukrainian peninsula of Crimea, The Independent can reveal.
Conservative backbenchers and defence experts have been quick to condemn the three-day visit by the Russian hunter-killer submarine to the port of Ceuta, a contested Spanish enclave on the Moroccan coast.
Ceuta is often described as Spain’s Gibraltar and is just 19 miles across the water from the British Overseas Territory, prompting a Conservative MP to label the visit a “clear provocation” by Spain designed to “intimidate the Gibraltarian people”.
Critics have said that while Spain appears reluctant to confront Russia, it’s taking an increasing firm line over Gibraltar where a Spanish customs boat allegedly fired on a Gibraltar-flagged pleasure boat last Saturday, the third such incident in as many weeks.
The rock of Gibraltar
Andrew Rosindell MP, vice chairman of the All Party Parliamentary Group on Gibraltar, said: “Spain has consistently ignored the borders of Gibraltar’s territorial waters, rammed their ships, and even fired shots at boats filled with tourists. And now, to cap it all off, they are allowing the navy of an unfriendly power to park their submarine less than 18 miles away.”
The Independent understands the Russian vessel, which departed from Ceuta on Friday, took on supplies fuel and water to complete its journey from a northern Russian port to the Black Sea, while its 56-strong crew was granted shore leave to enjoy the tax haven’s nightlife.
Novorossiysk is an upgraded version of the Cold War Kilo-class submarine, known to Nato as Project 677. It is one of the quietest diesel class boats in the world, prompting the nickname “Black Hole”. She is set to join the Russian Black Sea Fleet where she will be used for intelligence gathering, tracking Nato submarines and potentially deploying special forces.
Concerns about the visit to Cueta have also been raised by security analysts
, who fear the refuelling stop illustrates Europe’s lack of resolve in confronting Russian aggression in eastern Ukraine.
Luke Coffey, a security expert with the Heritage Foundation told The Independent: “For the past 18 months Nato has been focused on confronting Russian aggression in Ukraine, but here we have a Nato member actively hosting an advanced Russian warship on its way to the Black Sea. It’s crazy, and it will raise eye-brows in Washington.”
The Russian military has said the vessel is en-route to the Russian naval base at Novorossiysk, the Black Sea port from which it takes its name. However security experts have warned it “far more likely” to be headed for a major Russian naval base at Sevastopol in the annexed Crimean peninsula.
“It looks terrible for the Spanish if it’s hosting a submarine that is headed for occupied territory,” added Mr Coffey. “There will be a huge outcry in Washington, especially given the hypocrisy of Spanish rules that mean a US or Nato vessel cannot dock in Spain if it originates from Gibraltar. It’s ridiculous, as Spain is essentially saying they would rather have a Russian ship in one of their ports than a Nato vessel visit Gibraltar.”…
Continue this story at The Independent
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