Yesterday’s War - Doomberg

“I am a man of fixed and unbending principles, the first of which is to be flexible at all times.” – Everett Dirksen In late September, French naval forces boarded and immobilized the Boracay, a Benin-flagged oil tanker sailing off of France’s Atlantic coast. Carrying crude from Russia to India, the Boracay is part of what Western leaders call the “Russian shadow fleet,” a term with no legal standing under international law that refers to sanctioned ships insured by non-Western entities. Russian President Vladimir Putin blasted the move as piracy in neutral waters. After a short news cycle, the ship was released and allowed to continue its course. Two months later, attacks on the sanctioned fleet escalated dramatically. Several tankers were struck by naval drones, actions for which the Ukrainian Security Service has openly taken responsibility. Another was apparently hit just yesterday. Although no lives were lost, the flagrant attacks against unarmed ships caused outrage in many count

“I am a man of fixed and unbending principles, the first of which is to be flexible at all times.” – Everett Dirksen In late September, French naval forces boarded and immobilized the Boracay, a Benin-flagged oil tanker sailing off of France’s Atlantic coast. Carrying crude from Russia to India, the Boracay is part of what Western leaders call the “Russian shadow fleet,” a term with no legal standing under international law that refers to sanctioned ships insured by non-Western entities. Russian President Vladimir Putin blasted the move as piracy in neutral waters. After a short news cycle, th