Thank You Russia

I have trouble finding good news stories that make me believe that civilization still exists. The capture of the Russian tanker Moscow University by somali pirates last week is becoming a far too common event. But the Russian response was both quite uncommon and correct.

The International Maritime Bureau claims that 217 ships were attacked by somali pirates in 2009, with 47 hijackings. Most of these hijackings were resolved when shipping companies paid huge ransoms, which only encouraged more hijackings. Ransom money is just priced into shipping costs and we pay for the criminal behavior when we purchase goods.

The Russians took a more manly approach to the problem. They boarded the ship, subdued the pirates with force and then had to decide what to do with the pirates. Since the ship was by then in somali waters, the Russians were required by international law to turn the pirates over to somali authorities. But there are no somali authorities in this failed state, the pirates would have been home preparing for their next plundering within hours.

The Russians could have shot or hung the pirates on the spot (and maybe they did) but according to Russian military reports they took their weapons and nav gear then put them back in their boat before releasing them at sea 300 miles from shore. The Russian military said that the pirates never made it home. I assume they know whether the pirates made it to shore or maybe they just made a PC press statement.

It's things like this that make me admire the Russians. While the rest of the world dithers over how to deal with scumbags, the Russians just handle it and move on. The US would have been wringing their hands for months over this and still been scolded for their actions. No one makes a peep when Russia acts boldly and decisively.

Personally I hope the Russians shot the pirates and dumped them overboard. Eleven less pirates will be plying the waters of the Gulf of Aden. Russian ships will henceforth pass through somali waters unmolested. Life is good today.