A Pirate's Life

...ends quickly thanks to Russia.

In a mistaken identity disaster, the 10 pirates captured by Russian naval forces were not Russian journalists as originally thought.

Apparently the released pirates set sail for home, but without their weapons and navigation equipment. And apparently using the sun or stars for navigation is an optional course in Pirate school.

The WSJ reports:

Ten pirates released from a Russian warship 300 miles out to sea may have drowned, according to Russian officials and colleagues of the pirates, raising fears of retaliation against other vessels plying East African waters.

The pirates were captured last week after they hijacked the Moscow University, a Liberian-flagged, Russian-operated oil tanker sailing off the Somali coast. A Russian warship came to the ship's rescue and apprehended the pirates. But after determining it would be too difficult to obtain a conviction, Russian officials said that they dropped plans to take the pirates to Moscow for trial.

How should we feel about this?

Did Putin's Russia intend on the pirates dying at sea when they confiscated their navigation equipment? If the Russians wanted the pirates dead, why didn't they kill them after their capture? As we understand it, it is within the law of the seas to do so.

Steve Gilbert at Sweetness & Light goes so far as to suggest the Russians actually killed the pirates. Either "over-hydration or lead poisoning." He also adds: "You have to hand it to the Russkies, they don’t spend too much time worrying over world opinion."

As with commies, the only good pirate is a dead pirate. We just wish the US could get the credit.