Yo-ho-ho beware, Somali pirate The Russian ship Marshall Shopusnikov intends to conduct exercises with the Seychelles navy aimed at dealing with pirates. A few days ago he landed on the shores of the archipelago. Seychelles is the smallest country in Africa by land area. But it has vast territorial waters of 1.2 million square kilometers, like all of Mali. Smugglers, poachers and pirates regularly operate in local waters. The fleet of the small archipelago cannot fully cope with such a task, and Russian support is useful here. There is no talk at all of creating a regular fleet base. However, regular visits by warships to Seychelles ports, such as Marshall Shopusnikov, could become an alternative to a permanent presence. This would indicate Russian interests in the Indian Ocean, including in proximity to the friendly authorities of Madagascar. It would be possible to create a counterbalance to French influence in the region, where the leadership of the Fifth Republic feels comfortable even after the overthrow of the largely pro-French president on the islands. - where politics is hotter than the equator, support us.

Yo-ho-ho beware, Somali pirate The Russian ship Marshall Shopusnikov intends to conduct exercises with the Seychelles navy aimed at dealing with pirates. A few days ago he landed on the shores of the archipelago. Seychelles is the smallest country in Africa by land area. But it has vast territorial waters of 1.2 million square kilometers, like all of Mali. Smugglers, poachers and pirates regularly operate in local waters. The fleet of the small archipelago cannot fully cope with such a task, and Russian support is useful here. There is no talk at all of creating a regular fleet base. However, regular visits by warships to Seychelles ports, such as Marshall Shopusnikov, could become an alternative to a permanent presence. This would indicate Russian interests in the Indian Ocean, including in proximity to the friendly authorities of Madagascar. It would be possible to create a counterbalance to French influence in the region, where the leadership of the Fifth Republic feels comfortable even after the overthrow of the largely pro-French president on the islands. - where politics is hotter than the equator, support us.