Russia’s not having a fantastic day (week, month, year) with the U.S. media. National Security Advisor Michael Flynn’s abrupt resignation came soon after reports that he was vulnerable to Kremin-linked blackmail. Then there’s the story about Vladimir Putin experiencing regret over tying himself to Trump, who Russian political elites no longer view as a “a divine gift.” Yes, it’s 2017, and we’re talking about Russia all day long.
The party isn’t over yet! The New York Times published word from U.S. officials that Russia has secretly deployed a cruise missile. This would be the same missile that the Obama administration called Russia out for testing in 2014 — an act that violated a 1987 treaty from the end of the Cold War. However, Russia did not heed the Obama White House’s warnings and kept on trucking. U.S. officials now describe the missile as operational:
Administration officials said the Russians now have two battalions of the prohibited cruise missile. One is still located at Russia’s missile test site at Kapustin Yar in the country’s southeast. The other was shifted in December from that test site to an operational base elsewhere in the country, according to a senior official who did not provide further details and requested anonymity to discuss recent intelligence reports about the missile.
American officials had called the cruise missile the SSC-X-8. But the “X” has been removed from current intelligence reports, indicating that American intelligence officials consider the missile to be operational and no longer a system in development.
There’s just no telling whether Russia has timed this missile deployment because the country feels bolder with Trump as president. Clearly, Putin doesn’t have much respect for Obama, and although he claims to feel differently about his successor, only time will tell whether that’s true. However, this report does prompt recent memories of how Trump doesn’t understand nuke treaties, which may concern everyone.
(Via New York Times)