Russia denies its warships will join Aleppo bombardment

The Russian Foreign Ministry dismissed suggestions from NATO that a Russian battle group in the Mediterranean would join the bombardment of Syria's Aleppo as absurd, the RIA news agency reported yesterday.

RIA cited the ministry as saying NATO had no reason to worry about the battle group. NATO Secretary-General Jens Stoltenberg warned on Tuesday that the ships, headed for Syria, could be used to target civilians in the besieged city of Aleppo and to launch more air strikes.

Andrei Kelin, a senior Russian Foreign Ministry official, told RIA Stoltenberg's statement was unhelpful. "Our battle group is in the Mediterranean. Our ships have always had a presence there," said Kelin. "Why make some spurious suggestions and then make some political recommendations based on them? It is of course absurd."

The Russian aircraft carrier Admiral Kuznetsov and a task group of support vessels have steamed through the North Sea and English Channel in recent days heading to the Mediterranean Sea. NATO allies, including Britain, had been following the small flotilla. Russia on Wednesday withdrew a request to refuel a fleet of Russian warships in Spain, as Britain and NATO allies piled pressure on Madrid over concerns that the ships could be used to ramp up air attacks in Syria. Some of the Russian ships had been due to take on supplies and fuel in Spain's North African enclave of Ceuta. Last month, the Spanish government gave permission for three Russians vessels to stop in Ceuta between Oct. 28 and Nov. 2. This was in line with the normal practice of letting Russian warships stop at Spanish ports.