Navalny and Fleet of Russia

The Ships of the Russian Navy again could not go this month to replenish food to the Spanish port of Seuta on the coast of North Africa, although this happened earlier regularly. Russian military sailors did not receive the proper permission of the Spanish authorities. How much Madrid, refusing Moscow, was guided by political motives?

The official explanation of such a decision on the part of the Ministry of Defense and Foreign Affairs of Spain was not sounded and not published. However, the Spanish media-usually a well-informed Internet portal of Confidencial and the PAIS pro-government newspaper- tell with reference to anonymous sources in the Spanish Foreign Ministry that the whole thing is allegedly in the last formalities, and in fact, no one in Madrid objected to Seutu. However, in accordance with the current legislation, Spanish diplomacy was forced to previously request from Russia information about the further route of its ships. Having not received this information, Spain simply ignored the request - she did not answer “yes” or “no”.

As a result, the entry into Seutu did not take place. The Russian embassy in Madrid immediately responded with a tweet , which reported that all the data requested by Spain was "in a timely manner and promptly provided."

To understand the essence of the problem, you should first turn to the recent past. With a request for three days in Seutu, the Spanish half-Eksklav in North Africa, two ships of the Northern Fleet of the Russian Federation- the Big Anti-Admiral Kulakov, and the Altai rescue tugboat-Moscow turned to Madrid at the beginning of this summer. There was nothing new about it. In the past ten years, ships near the Andreevsky flag regularly visited Seuta - to refuel fuel, replenishment of water and food and recreation reserves. At the same time, Russian sailors traditionally allowed access to the city. Until 2016, such sites were carried out almost monthly. But then they became less often. For example, in 2018, only the Marshal Ustinov missile cruiser , the Dubna tanker and the Sat-406 rescue tanker visited Seutu. And in 2019, only the corvette Vasily Bykov visited here.

Port of the Spanish city-Polueksklava Seuta

The calls of Russian ships were previously always welcomed by both the central authorities of Spain and the Seuta administration. First of all, due to large revenues to federal and local budgets from such visits, as well as because of the desire to maintain business relations with Russia, which are important for the Spanish economy suffering from a long-term crisis. A hot supporter of the entry of Russian ships in Seutu until recently was the head of the city port Jose Torrado . Here's what he said, speaking to the journalists:

"Russian military sailors can count on a set of hospitality, which they can still meet little. We try to serve them well, we do everything so that these guests are returning to us again and again. And they return because they like our city. Every Russian spends on average from 300 to 400 euros, and some, like serving ships, positively affects our economy."

But at the same time, many allies of Spain in NATO and the European Union were distrustful of visiting Seuta by Russian warships. The situation around this topic was especially encouraged in the middle of the last decade. Then Spain began to openly criticize partners. This is what, for example, the American edition of The Huffington Post wrote :

"So far, the Syrian city of Aleppo is burning, the support that Spain is provided with, allowing its navy to be served in the Set, contradicts the norms of the correct behavior of the NATO member country and the European Union. The Russia's armed forces involved in the illegal seizure of Crimea and the division of Ukraine, or protecting the Syrian Assad and constantly threatening the Baltic countries. would change your policy. "

Vladimir Putin examines the large anti-submarine ship "Vice Admiral Kulakov." September 2014

Criticized the suits of Russian ships in Seutu and the Secretary General of NATO Jens Stoltenberg. It was especially annoyed that it was these ships that subsequently subjected the shelling of the city and the village in Syria, which made the country's civilian population. However, Stoltenberg admitted that formally, Spain does not violate the charter and rules of NATO, since having a special status of Seuta, in accordance with the agreements existing from the early 80s of the last century, is not included in the area of responsibility of the North Atlantic Union. Madrid's decisions were also criticized by the deputies of the European Parliament, who indicated that such calls of Russian military courts clearly contradict the meaning and spirit of the sanctions imposed by the EU on Russia for the annexation of Crimea.

The UK was especially worried. In London, it was believed that Russian ships could use their stay in the Set to monitor the nearby British military base in Gibraltar. However, until recently, Spain practically did not react to all these reproaches. Moreover, no sanctions from NATO or from the EU follow them.

Gibraltar. Spanish side

What has changed now and what has influenced the current position of Spain regarding the visits of Russian ships? After all, Seuta now more than ever previously needs a tributary of finance, in particular due to the ruin consequences of the Covid-19 pandemic. At the same time, the statements of some sources, including Russian, that Spain with its refusal "wants to demonstrate equalization to NATO during the preparation of the summit of the member countries of the Alliance, which should be held in Madrid in 2022" ( quote from the official representative of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of the Russian Federation Maria Zakharova.-RS ) are quite funny. Spain does not need to “demonstrate” the allies simply because it is “equal to NATO”, which entered in 1982, for many decades - and active participation in the political and military activities of the North Atlantic Union, in its military missions, from the Balkans and Somalia to Iraq and Afghanistan, and the provision of NATO for military bases.

Frigate of the Spanish Navy "Navarra" in the port of Seuta

The Spaniards interviewed by me, and many journalists, and some familiar residents of Madrid, almost unanimously believe that a change in the attitude of their country to official Moscow is mainly explained by the deterioration of civil rights situations in Russia, that is, things extremely painful for Western countries. At least the recent statements of the Spanish politician, who now occupies the post of Supreme EU for Foreign Affairs and Security Policy, Zhosep Boar, is assigned to this issue in the European Union, including in Spain. Here's what he said during a speech at the Royal Institute of International Strategic Studies by Elkano in Madrid:

The case of Navalny remains a bright symbol of the unacceptable for us of Russia's policy

"Our opportunities to somehow influence Russia are limited. We have a difficult relationship with it. Russia does not even want to talk about human rights, for example, about the situation around Navalny. For Putin’s regime, this is an unacceptable topic. But for us, the attitude to civil rights is the most important issue that characterizes one or another political regime. And here we are completely diverging with Russia. The case of Naval remains a bright symbol of the Russian policy unacceptable for us. Our Disagreements with this issue will not disappear on its own.

The situation with human rights in Russia is well known to many Spaniards. Local media regularly inform the public not only about the fate of Alexei Navalny, but also other facts that characterize here as a glaring violation of basic rights and freedoms. Spanish publications almost every day write about the Kremlin rejection of any dissent - about attacks on non -governmental organizations and independent means of information, about the detentions and arrests of opposition, journalists, cruel court sentences, and so on. All this is unacceptable for both the Spanish authorities and the public.

And all unofficial explanations about allegedly unpraised documents, which led to the Russians refusal to go to Seutu, the Spaniards themselves consider only the diplomatic trick of their Foreign Ministry.