You can always depend on the heavy handed Dour Power to come to the rescue of the US image abroad. During the Cold War, Moscow was always available to invade a European country or two or scare the the schnitzels out of the Germans. The US, could never quite trump Russian clumsiness and stupidity, although we did give them a good run. Never underestimate Yankee ingenuity. I was worried for a bit that that there really once was such a thing as a "soviet." Fear not they were merely Russians in bad clothes.
They are back.
Putin, soul exposed to the world, has turned off gas supplies, threatened Europe with new missiles, murdered businessmen, journalists and political opponents and in general has reminded just about everyone, save Compassionate George, that he is the little KGB smug thug he always was.
The latest stunt is Russia claiming the North Pole and yes sports fans they are serious. The Russians are always serious.
Russia Arctic Grab Mission Nears Its Finale
MOSCOW, Aug. 1: An ambitious Russian expedition intended to symbolically claim rich Arctic resources for Moscow was expected to reach the North Pole today ~ part of the Kremlin’s efforts to strengthen the nation’s energy power and expand its global clout.AP
The planned dive by two mini-submarines to the depth of more than 4,000 metres, or more than 13,200 feet, is intended to prop up Moscow’s claims to almost 1.2 million square kilometres (more than 460,000 square miles) of the Arctic shelf ~ which by some estimates contains 10 billion tons of oil and gas deposits.
The expedition is taking place amid an intensifying rivalry between Russia, the USA, Canada and other nations whose shores face the northern polar ocean for vast potential riches hidden in the Arctic.
About 100 scientists aboard the orange-coloured Akademik Fyodorov research ship are specifically looking for evidence that the Lomonosov Ridge ~ a 2,000 kilometre (1,240 mile) underwater mountain ridge that crosses the polar region is a geologic extension of Russia, and therefore can be claimed by Russia under the UN Convention on the Law of the Sea. After reaching the sea floor under the North Pole, Russia’s mini-subs will leave a titanium capsule containing the Russian flag. The subs will also collect specimens of Arctic flora and fauna and videotape the dives. The most difficult part of the mission will be getting back precisely to the ice-free point of departure to avoid being trapped under a thick ice crust.
