Russian submarine caught snooping off Georgia coast

AFP/Pool/File/Alexander Zemlianichenko

A Russian nuclear-powered attack submarine, Akula II, was spotted about 200 miles off the coast of Georgia, USA, on Wednesday, August 5, 2009.

Gen. Anatoly Nogovitsyn, deputy chief of the General Staff of the Russian military, confirmed the presence of the sub in the area, but maintained the operation is strictly for training reasons: “The Navy mustn’t rest dockside,” he said at a press conference.

Indeed it mustn’t. And the sub is in international waters. But to surface so close to the coast of one of the most powerful countries in the world raises some eyebrows, especially since this kind of behavior was last seen during the Cold War. And it is an excellent way to get attention.

After the 1991 Soviet Union collapse, once impressive and fear mongering Russian military was moved to the back burner and dramatically cut in size. When Putin became President in 2000, he vowed to restore Russian power, and the high oil prices helped the struggling economy to somewhat “recover.” Putin and his allies believe a nation with a strong military power enjoys great respect around the world and helps to convey an image of an active global power.

This sneaking up on US East Coast could very well be just a way to “show off”. After all, regardless of how much money Putin or Medvedev put into the military, Russian image as an international player has suffered some serious set backs in recent months.

During Russian attack on the Republic of Georgia last August, there was a lot of talk about how inaccurate and outdated Russian weapons are, causing much more civilian casualties: “Ruslan Pukhov, head of the Center for Analysis of Strategies and Technologies, said the war showed that the Russian air force is still short of precision weapons and continues to rely on older types of bombs and rockets.

Some civilian casualties could probably have been avoided if Russia's equivalent to the U.S. GPS satellite navigation system was fully working. But the GLONASS system doesn't yet have the necessary number of satellites in orbit and, more importantly, portable navigation devices are still a rarity in the Russian military, according to officials. “ source 

When Russians announced their plans to send a couple of warships to Venezuela for training last September, some international pundits joked about their ability to make the long trip. Even US State Department spokesman couldn’t help himself: “ They found a few ships that can make it that far.” 

Most recently, it was our very own Vice President Joseph who embarrassed Russia by proclaiming their economy “withering” among other things:
“Russia has to make some very difficult, calculated decisions. They have a shrinking population base, they have a withering economy, they have a banking sector and structure that is not likely to be able to withstand the next 15 years, they’re in a situation where the world is changing before them and they’re clinging to something in the past that is not sustainable.” Wall Street Journal, 7/25/09

Perhaps when Biden said Russians were clinging to something in the past he was talking about their fantasy of becoming a military power and gaining international respect through that. His statement, as politically incorrect as it was, defined Russia perfectly.

Aside from sneaking up on American coast, Russian military has also been “exercising” near Georgia’s border. The small Republic has been a sore spot between USA and Russia. US took the side of Georgia last August when the country was invaded by Russians.

Since then, Georgia has asked for American assistance in fighting their rambunctious neighbor. Vice President Biden visited the region just a couple of weeks ago, and pledged Washington’s strong support. After a year, Russian military is still occupying some land within Georgia.

It was quite clear from the beginning that Putin sent the ships down to “America’s backyard” in South America as a sign of anger over US aiding Georgia. And now Russian attack submarine is floating off the coast of America – near the State also called Georgia. Coincidence?

They could have stayed under water, that way only US military would know of their presence, and the story would not make it into the news. Are they foolishly flexing their muscles or are they up to something? If you’re Polish like me, you know when it comes to ex-KGB operatives, never say never.

To read about all recent military exercises by Russia click here