Jamie Merrill
The Spanish government has
been accused of further provocative behaviour over the contested British
territory of Gibraltar after it allowed a Russian submarine to refuel at one of
its ports just 19 miles from the Rock.
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.
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 toldThe 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.”
Confirming the visit, a Nato
official insisted the alliance had “suspended all practical cooperation with
Russia” and the visit was “arranged bilaterally between sovereign nations”. The
Spanish government did not respond to a request for comment on Friday.
The visit is not in breach of
EU sanctions and Peter Roberts, a senior research fellow for sea power, at the
Royal United Services Institute, said it may actually have a benefit to Nato.
He said: “It’s a tough call
for Spain as they have to consider the political ramifications, but also the
intelligence benefit Nato will receive from hosting these vessels. These
submarines are incredibly hard to track and having a known destination will be
very useful for Nato intelligence assets.”
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