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Saturday 15 October 2016

Tensions Between US And Russia At Their Worst Levels Since The Cold War


As tensions continue to escalate between the U.S. and Russia, the Kremlin has called vice president Joe Biden's threat to 'send a message' through America's own cyber strike 'unprecedented'. 
Russia said it would protect itself from a potentially unpredictable attack from the U.S., the New York Post reported.
'The threats directed against Moscow and our state’s leadership are unprecedented because they are voiced at the level of the US vice president.
'To the backdrop of this aggressive, unpredictable line, we must take measures to protect (our) interests, to hedge risks,' a Kremlin spokesman said, according to RIA Novosti news agency. 



Just one day early, Biden told NBC News: 'We're sending a message. We have the capacity to do it. It will be at the time of our choosing, and under the circumstances that will have the greatest impact.'
U.S. intelligence officials told NBC News the CIA 'had already begun opening cyber doors, selecting targets and making other preparations for an operation'.
Moscow has been accused of posturing to the rest of the world by prepping civilians for potential war, instructing them to check on the availability of bomb shelters and gas masks.
In response, US intelligence officials told NBC News that the CIA is preparing for a possible cyber attack on the Kremlin to embarrass its leadership. 
Russia's UN ambassador also admitted on Friday he feels that tensions are at an all-time high. 
Vitaly Churkin said that Cold War relations between the Soviet Union and Russia more than 40 years ago were different than U.S.-Russia relations today.
'The general situation I think is pretty bad at this point, probably the worst ... since 1973,' he said in an interview with three journalists at Russia's U.N. Mission.
But Churkin said that 'even though we have serious frictions, differences like Syria, we continue to work on other issues ... and sometimes quite well'.
Tensions between the west and Russia are escalating to their worst levels, caused in part by the Kremlin's bombing campaign of Syria (pictured) 
Tensions between the west and Russia are escalating to their worst levels, caused in part by the Kremlin's bombing campaign of Syria (pictured) 

Churkin said that is different than during the Cold War when Egypt and Syria launched a surprise attack against Israel on the holiest day in the Jewish calendar in October 1973, the Mideast was thrown into turmoil. 
And according to historians, the threat of an outbreak of fighting between the Soviet Union, which backed the Arabs, and the United States, Israel's closest ally, during the Yom Kippur War was the highest since the 1962 Cuban missile crisis. 
Churkin said there are 'a string of things' that have brought U.S.-Russian relations to their current low point.

'It's kind of a fundamental lack of respect and lack of in-depth discussions' on political issues, he said.
Churkin said Russia would like to normalize relations with the United States.
'If the change of administration is going to help, that's fine,' he said. 
But even if President Barack Obama stayed for another term, which he is barred from doing, 'we would be pushed to trying to get back to normal in our relations'.
Many defense experts believe Russia is not intent on war but is instead throwing its weight around to deter western countries from intervening with Russian bombing in Syria. 


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