The Russian Ambassador to the UN Vitaly Churkin said that the tensions between the US and Russia are the worst since the Yom Kippur War in 1973. Back then Moscow and Washington took opposing sides in the conflict. Moscow has therefore called on Russian citizens to prepare their bombs shelters and gas masks.
Kremlin aide Yuri Ushakov also told reporters on Saturday, that the plans of the CIA on preparing cyber attacks against Russia’s leadership, will receive a harsh response.
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NBC News reported on Friday citing US intelligence officials that the Obama administration “is contemplating an unprecedented cyber covert action against Russia in retaliation for alleged Russian interference in the American presidential election.”
“Certainly, we will do this. This is already on the edge of rudeness, ” Ushakov said, according to TASS report.
Russian citizens received a televised message telling them to prepare for an attack on Russian soil, and instructed to prepare the closest bomb shelter to them and to check to make sure that their gas masks are in working order. Russians were also told how an emergency government would operate during wartime.
However, military experts allege that this is nothing more than Russian President Vladimir Putin trying to frighten the West and keep the West from intervening in Syria.
Earlier in the week, the Russian military moved Iskander short range ballistic missiles to its enclave in Kaliningrad – located between Poland and Lithuania – in a power move which caused anger in Poland and the Baltic states. Russia claims that the missiles were sent to the enclave as part of a routine military excursive.
UN Ambassador Churkin meanwhile claimed that the tensions between the US and his country, while high, are not the same kind of tensions felt during the 1973 Yom Kippur War.
“I believe that the state (of relations) is generally bad – perhaps the worst since 1973, ” Churkin said.
He added however, that “despite the fact that we have a serious disagreement, we are continuing (to work together) in other areas – sometimes successfully.”
The crisis in the relations comes after a long list of other conflicts between the two countries, according to the ambassador.
“It’s a lack of basic respect, ” he said, “and a lack of in-depth discussions on political issues.” He then went on to clain the US and NATO decided to build up their defenses “at Russia’s expense, ” especially since the US and NATO have recruited many countries which were formerly under the Soviet sphere of influence.
He also noted the US placing anti-ballistic missiles near Russia in 2001 and the US attempts to get Ukraine and Georgia to join NATO in 2008 under former President George Bush as moments which led to the present situation.
The Ambassador also mentioned the ousting of Ukrainian President Viktor Yanukovych in 2014, and described the ousting as a US backed coup.
Furthermore, the Russian Itar Tass news site reported that Moscow will respond to CIA cyber attacks against the Russian leadership. A Kremlin official said that “of course we’ll respond – (the attacks) are unacceptable.”
NBC tweeted that US intelligence officials said that Obama is weighing whether or not to begin a large scale cyber attack against Russia in retaliation for Russia’s alleged involvement in the US elections.
