Since October 30 2021 the U.S. is warning of a Russian military buildup and a potential invasion of the Ukraine.
Over the last days the screaming over Russian exercises on Russian grounds has again increased. The U.S. Secretary of State and the Secretary of Defense have both called their Russian counterparts. President Biden will later today call President Putin.
But if the situation is really as dire as the U.S. claims why is it doing this (machine translation)?
An American submarine entered Russian territorial waters in the Kuriles region, and special means were used against it, the Ministry of Defense said.
“On February 12, 2022, at 10:40 Moscow time, a U.S. Navy submarine of the Virginia type was discovered in the area of the planned exercise of the Pacific Fleet forces in the territorial waters of the Russian Federation near Urup Island of the Kuril Ridge,” the agency said.
The crew of the submarine was given a message in Russian and English via underwater communication: “You are in the territorial waters of Russia. Surface immediately!”
The foreign warship ignored the demand.
“In accordance with the guidelines for the protection of the state border of the Russian Federation in the underwater environment, the crew of the Pacific Fleet frigate Marshal Shaposhnikov used appropriate means,” the message says.
The American submarine used a self-propelled simulator to double the target on radar and acoustic control means and left Russian territorial waters at maximum speed.
A detachment of ships of the Pacific Fleet continues exercises and controls the underwater environment to prevent violation of the state border.
In connection with the incident, the Defense Ministry called the military attache at the US Embassy in Moscow.
The Kuril islands are north east of Japan and part of Russia.
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During the Yalta conference on February 11 1945 U.S. President Roosevelt had conceded the Kuril islands, then completely under Japanese control, to the Soviet Union in exchange for the Soviet Union joining the war against Japan.
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In its typical non-agreement-capable manner the U.S. has since disputed the agreement and supports Japanese claims, repeated recently, on the southern islands on its side of the 1855 border. The dispute has prevented the signing of a peace treaty between Russia and Japan.
Rahm Emanuel, the very new U.S. ambassador to Japan, used the issue to piss off his Russian colleague:
The Russian Ambassador’s timing to intimidate Japan could not have been worse and lacks self-awareness with Northern Territories Day on Monday. Rules and respect count. The U.S. stands with Japan and its Prime Minister for our shared values and principles.
— ラーム・エマニュエル駐日米国大使 (@USAmbJapan) February 3, 2022
The Russian ambassador responded by doubting Emanuel’s knowledge of the issue.
The U.S. will probably claim that the submarine was in Japanese waters when the Russian navy repelled it.
Russia believes that the new Japanese push on the Kuril islandw issue has been instigated by the U.S. as a part of its current general harassment of Russia. Today’s submarine incident will be taken as proof of that thesis.
During the call between Biden and Putin the Russian side will certainly mention the submarine incident.
I do not expect any public results from the call. But there are without doubt some background negotiations about the demands Russia has made and which the U.S. so far has rejected.
The submarine incident could have developed way more badly. The current U.S. behavior is extremely dangerous but being dangerous may well be its intent.
Like clockwork, a new round of warnings from US media and government officials is having the effect of exacerbating rather than allaying tensions. Jake Sullivan just declared that any Americans should flee Ukraine. Everything they’re doing suggests an intent to trigger war
— Michael Tracey (@mtracey) February 11, 2022
Reprinted with permission from Moon of Alabama.
