three warships are tracking the pirates and two of them are very close to the hijacked ship [...]

the Ukrainian ship [is] surrounded by at least two ships [...]

They asked individuals in charge of the hijacking of the Ukranian ship to come aboard the navy ship for talks [...]

the navy ships were using loudspeakers warning the pirates not to make any attempt to unload any of the cargo on board the ship

Of all the naval deployments Russia has made this year, including the Pyotr Veliky deployment to Venezuela and the Admiral Kuznetsov to the Mediterranean Sea, we see this naval deployment by Russia the most noteworthy to date, because it is a true logistics mission.

In the case of the other two naval deployments, Russia was able to make a number of friendly ports to supply vessels, and the ships never spent long periods of time at sea. Not in this case, this will be a major logistical undertaking by the Russian Navy, with the only port option available perhaps, maybe, being Eritrea.

Somali pirates claim to be in possession of confidential documents showing that the arms were actually destined for southern Sudan and not Kenya. [...]

if they are not going to be paid the ransom, they will spill the beans.

DUBAI, United Arab Emirates (AP) —

A U.S. Navy spokesman says a weapons shipment on a Ukrainian ship hijacked by Somali pirates was headed to Sudan, not Kenya.

Lt. Nathan Christensen, a deputy spokesman for the U.S. 5th Fleet in Bahrain, says the buyers in Sudan are unknown.

A 5th Fleet statement Monday says the ship was headed for the Kenyan port of Mombassa, but that "additional reports state the cargo was intended for Sudan."

Somali pirates on board a hijacked ship are reported to have been involved in a shoot-out over what to do with the vessel's cargo of tanks and weapons.

"This is propaganda being spread by some people who are not aware of our situation. We are united in punishing those who abuse Somali waters," said Sugule Ali.

Talks between the owner of the MV Faina vessel and the pirates are effectively going on, and there are reasons to believe that they will be completed within a few days, says a press release of the ship owner, published by the Morskoy Bulletin-Sovfracht journal.

July 31, 2009: Last September, a Ukrainian ship carrying a cargo of over 2,000 tons of weapons (including 33 T-72 tanks) to Kenya, was seized by Somali pirates, who promptly demanded $35 million for the ship.

When the tanks finally arrived in Kenya, they were taken to an army base. But satellite photos showed that those tanks were moved several times, until they crossed the border into South Sudan. Two other ships carried more tanks to Kenya, and eventually about a hundred T-72s ended up in South Sudan.