The battle group of the aircraft carrier Admiral Kuznetsov has passed Gibraltar and will not call at the port of Ceuta.
The Russian embassy in Spain has withdrawn the request and the units are heading towards the eastern Mediterranean, until they reach the attack position, in front of the Syrian coasts. Raids are expected to start by the first week of November.
The Madrid Ministry of Foreign Affairs had previously received a request (and given prior authorization) for a short stop by the Russian flotilla in the port of Ceuta, a Spanish enclave in North Africa, to refuel with food and fuel. The authorization had been formally requested for the logistic ships and the tanker to support the battle group. Spain has been regularly supplying Russian warships in North Africa's free port since 2010, when it opened to logistical support for ships from other nations. There are about fifty Russian units including submarines, frigates, destroyers, amphibious and auxiliary assault ships that have stopped in Ceuta since 2010. The autonomous Spanish enclave at the tip of the northern coast of Africa lies along the Strait of Gibraltar and borders Morocco. Although Ceuta is part of the European Union, its status within NATO has never been clarified.
The possible stop of the battle group of the aircraft carrier Admiral Kuznetsov, eight units, has sparked various reactions at European level.
It is the task of the nations along the route to the eastern Mediterranean whether or not to provide food and fuel to the Kuznetsov battle group - said Jens Stoltenberg, NATO Secretary General - but that battle group could be used to intensify air raids on the besieged city of Aleppo where 275.000 people are trapped. I believe all allies are aware that Russian units will be used to conduct air strikes on Syria.
According to Russia, the parking of naval units, authorized on a case-by-case basis by the Spanish Foreign Ministry, does not violate the EU sanctions regime and take place in compliance with international and national legislation. For Moscow, the Ceuta stop was to be considered as a formal commercial issue. It is not unusual for Russian navy ships to obtain supplies in other NATO countries, such as Greece and Italy.
(Photo: Royal Norwegian Navy)
