Spain draws ire over refueling Aleppo-bound Russian warships

Spain has reportedly drawn ire for offering to refuel a fleet of Russian warships that are headed towards Syria's Aleppo.

Ceuta, an autonomous Spanish city located on the north coast of Africa, sharing a western border with Morocco has docked at least 60 Russian warships since 2011.

Nato secretary-general Jens Stoltenberg warned on 26 October that the Russian warships moving towards Syria could be used to target civilians, The Guardian reported.

"We are concerned and have expressed very clearly by the potential use of that battle group to increase air strikes on civilians in Aleppo, Stoltenberg told The Guardian. In his statement he was further quoted saying that it was "up to each nation to decide whether these vessels may obtain supplies and refuel at different ports along the route to the eastern Mediterranean".

Nato is monitoring the movement of the eight-strong carrier battle group from northern Russia en route to the eastern Mediterranean, where alliance officials fear it will launch fighter bombers to hit northwestern Syria early in November.

The alliance officials fear that eight-strong carrier battle group from northern Russia en route to the eastern Mediterranean would launch fighter bombers to hit northwestern Syria early in November.

"The battle group may be used to increase Russia's ability to take part in combat operations over Syria and to conduct even more air strikes against Aleppo," Stoltenberg was quoted to have said in the report.

Former Belgium prime minister Guy Verhofstadt has called Spain's decision to refuel Russian warships as "scandalous.