Ukraine dirty war spilling over into Mediterranean

Alameen Templeton

Even as King Donald Trump seeks to aggressively wind down the Ukraine war, indications are secretive “dark ops” planners in Kiev and Washington are trying to keep it ticking over by spilling it over into the Mediterranean and North Africa.
This after three vessels trading with Russia were sabotaged in the Mediterranean in the last 30 days, on top of the first such explosion in December. The incidents mark the first time in decades that non-military vessels have been damaged by explosions in the central Mediterranean.
Dirty warfare tactics
Leaked documents obtained by the Grayzone indicate the US National Security Council has developed dirty warfare tactics aimed at prolonging the conflict in Ukraine.
These include including sabotage tactics inspired by Iraqi insurgents’ use of improvised explosive devices (IEDs) against US forces, as well as propaganda strategies modeled on techniques used by ISIS, which is itself a spawn of US intelligence.
The NSC’s plans also sought to prolong what it described as the US-led collective West’s proxy war against Russia, using “virtually any means” short of direct American or NATO military intervention in Ukraine or direct attacks on Russian territory.
The documents explicitly reference a directive stating, “We need to take a page from ISIS’ playbook.”
The strategies outlined included the placement of “smart” bombs on Russian trains, railways, power plants, and other civilian infrastructure, including in other countries.
Instructions from Washington
Ukrainian forces reportedly carried out these operations in direct violation of Russia’s declared red lines, following instructions from the NSC’s playbook.
The latest may have occurred last Saturday, then the Greek-operated crude oil tanker Seajewel was rocked by two explosions in a north Italian port, Savona-Vado. The blasts occurred 20 minutes apart, with the first causing a one-meter inward breach below the waterline. The inward breach indicated it was caused by a blast from explosives placed on the outside of the hull.
Ukrainska Pravda,a propaganda arm of Kiev, celebrated the blasts and claimed the vessel had been transporting Russian oil to Europe in violation of sanctions.
In late January, the crude oil tanker, Seacharm, was damaged off the Turkish Mediterranean port of Ceyhan. Seacharm and Seajewel are both owned by the same company, Thenamaris.
The final incident involved the Liberia-flagged chemical and products tanker Grace Ferrum, which was damaged so badly off Libya’s coast, it would require a salvage operation to refloat her due to the extent of the damage.
The Russian connection
All three of the vessels had recently called at Russian ports.
The Russian Foreign Ministry said that a Russian cargo ship Ursa Major sank in the Mediterranean after an explosion targeted its engine room in late December.
The Mediterranean is rapidly transforming into a contested territory, with Turkiye seeking to expand its oil exploration footprint into areas that intrude on Greek, Israeli, Italian and Egyptian fossil fuel ambitions in the Eastern Mediterranean.
Ankara is reaching out to Libya for an alliance and that has fuelled the ongoing Libyan civil war between the UN recognised government in Tripoli and warlord Khalifa Haftar’s kingdom in Benghazi. He is supported by the UAE and Egypt, while Moscow and Ankara are aligned with the administration in Tripoli.
The war has seen Russian Wagner forces battling Ukrainian mercenaries, a struggle that has also spilled over into the Sudan conflict where the RSF are backed by the UAE.