Was Missing Ship Taken by Pirates—or Spies?

(AP) - Russia's navy arrested eight men accused of hijacking the Arctic Sea freighter near Sweden and forcing the crew to sail to West Africa, the defense minister said today. The suspected hijackers were detained by the naval vessel that found the Russian-crewed freighter yesterday off Cape Verde, thousands of miles from the Algerian port where it was supposed to dock two weeks ago. More»

(NEWSER) - The Russian ship that mysteriously disappeared nearly three weeks ago has been found off the West African coast, with all 15 crew members aboard, Russia’s defense minister announced today. The crew is now aboard the Russian frigate that found them. The defense minister said the crew was not under armed control when found, but declined to give any other details. More»

Secret cargo of drugs or arms may be behind maritime mystery

(NEWSER) - The Russian navy has deployed warships and submarines in search of a cargo ship that mysteriously disappeared from European waters, the Telegraph reports. The Russian crew of the Arctic Sea, which was transporting a load of timber worth nearly $2 million, reported being attacked by pirates in Swedish waters on July 24. Then things really get confusing. Twelve hours later, the crew reported that the hijackers had left but had damaged communication equipment and taken their cell phones. More»

(NEWSER) - Russian warships arrived in Havana yesterday for the first time since the end of the Cold War, the London Times reports. The visit comes at the end of a 3-month South American tour that Russia expected would raise hackles in the US. “I guess they’re on R&R,” said Condoleezza Rice. Russia sent off the warships after US ships entered the Black Sea this summer in support of Georgia. More»

Submarine fire almost triggered biggest accident since Chernobyl

(NEWSER) - When a Russian submarine caught fire in December, officials said its nuclear weapons had been removed long before the fire—but now, Russian navy insiders tell a magazine that wasn't the case. In fact, during the fire, the Yekaterinburg submarine had 16 intercontinental ballistic missiles on board, and each held four nuclear warheads, the navy sources tell Vlast magazine. That means "Russia, for a day, was on the brink of the biggest catastrophe since the time of Chernobyl." More»