Could Russian subs help close the Louisiana oil leak?

Today seems a day of mystery news that one doesn't really know what to do with them. After mentioning the apparently severe but otherwise unheard of political conflict in Puerto Rico, now I stumble with another strange and rather hidden news item at BBC: the captain of a special high depth Mir submarine claims they could close the Louisiana oil leak but clarifies that top level institutional decisions would be needed.

The two Mir submarines are nowadays searching for methane hydrates (an alternative source of energy) in the depths of Lake Baikal, the deepest lake on Earth, and have previously worked in the Arctic. He speaks confident of their capabilities but laments that there seems to be no interest in asking the Russians for help at all.

Puzzling to say the least.