Russian Warships: Spain Says Refuelling Request Withdrawn

[mikey4444]

http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-europe-37779204

Oh dear...what a time to run out of petrol !

[Gromit]

Diesel.

[mikey4444]

I just knew someone would correct me on that point !

[Gromit]

It is a bit pathetic that the only response that the West can muster to Russia's activities in Syria is to stop them fueling. They are not going to run out of fuel, and can top up in Syria, so its a rather meaningless action.

[youngmafbog]

Why refuse them to fuel?

Have they declared war on the West now?

[youngmafbog]

We should adopt the old saying: Keep your friends close but your enemies closer.

[mikey4444]

YMB....no, just on all the people in Syria, including all the children that they are murdering, assisting the Russians friend, Assad The Butcher.

[anotheoldgit]

mikey4444

It's war and unfortunately in war children along with adults get killed.

During WW2, we 'murdered' German, Italian and Japanese children, and the Germans, Italians and the Japanese 'murdered' our children.

[Gromit]

The so called rebels are mostly foreign Islamists from neighbouring countries. IS, al Nusra, al qaeda are a bigger threat to the Syrian people than Assad, who is Syria's legitimate ruler.

[mikey4444]

WW2 was a very long time ago AOG, and yet we seem to have learned very little in the intervening years.

Putin and Assad are committing atrocities on the people of Syria, on an unprecedented scale. They are using chemical weapons, as well as aerial attacks by helicopters, tipping out barrel bomb,s down on to Hospitals and areas of Aleppo where there are innocent children living. All this has been confirmed by the UN and aid agencies at the scene.

We shouldn't be giving any assistance to either of them, in any way whatsoever.

[naomi24]

Mikey, look at Gromit's post at 09:26. What's your opinion on that?

[Old_Geezer]

I think it is the principle not to give tacit approval by offering help, regardless whether it'll achieve anything more. Anyway wasn't it the Russians that withdrew the request ?

[ichkeria]

They didn't need to refuel at all of course as the 'armada' includes fuel tankers.
Probably just testing the water, or maybe force of habit. Anyway, NATO complained, Spain asked what was the purpose of their mission, and the Russians withdrew the refuelling stopover request.
So the whole thing is about as pointless as the deployment of the Kuznetzov itself, which is an ageing rust bucket with outdated weapons systems. If Putin had launched a gigantic papier-mâché phallic symbol from Severomorsk the other day it would have been cheaper and more honest.
Meanwhile, he continues to bomb soft targets in Syria in a frantic attempt to prop up a fellow war criminal. Probably before the White House gets an administration with more metallic dangly bits in January. There's not a lot we can do about that immediately, but no point beating ourselves up about it.
The Kuznetsov's contribution to the slaughter is likely to be more cosmetic than anything.

[ichkeria]

I'll offer my view on gromit's 9.26 comment: predictable and utterly misinformed/mischievous

[naomi24]

ichkeria, do you think Russia’s withdrawal would settle the situation – and moreover, settle it to the satisfaction of the people?

[ichkeria]

Russia should cease its indiscriminate bombing of innocent civilians in Syria forthwith and pursue its originally stated mission; to assist in the war on IS.
But then, I'd also like to win the lottery, and that is more likely - and I don't even do the lottery ...

[naomi24]

ichkeria, but as has been said before the situation in Syria involves many factions. If Russia restricts its efforts to assisting in the war on IS, what about the rest?

[youngmafbog]

It's easy to sit in our arm chairs moralizing on the situation but the reality is the Middle East is a hot bed of violence due to the many tribes that have been there for thousands of years.

Lets face it IS are murdering people daily, but we rarely see continued calls for their war crimes. I wonder why?

[DTCwordfan]

In the Channel, they weren't burning diesel - it was fuel oil, a totally different product.

[DTCwordfan]

petrol - density 0.72 to 0.74, diesel 0.82 to 0.86 - the heavier end Marine Diesel for smaller vessels and to warm up boilers of larger ships in port and avoid heavy pollution, (these products are known as white distillates as they are naturally transparent (or the white end of the barrel).

0.9 is the density for fuel oil and this is known as heavy distillates - and the dark end of the barrel as it resembles crudes in colour.

[Old_Geezer]

IMO you don't get continued calls for Daesh war crimes because they aren't considered a valid State/army so the perpetrators are numerous; just a band of folk terrorising civilians. So criminal charges, in the unlikely event they survive long enough to go to court, is surely a 'given'.