Russian Tu-95 bombers (Reuters/Shamil Zhumatov)

What is Vladimir Putin Up To Sending Russian Bombers Close To The US? -- Howard Lafranchi, CSM

Experts play down concerns about a return to Cold War days. But Russian long-range bombers coming close to the US, plus other seemingly provocative acts, indicate a retrenched power attempting to assert its global presence again.

WASHINGTON — Russia’s announcement Wednesday that it plans to send long-range bombers to patrol the skies of America’s backyard over the Caribbean and the Gulf of Mexico may have sounded to many Americans like the stuff of the Cold War.

Anyone remember the 1960s comedy movie, “The Russians Are Coming, the Russians Are Coming”?

The Pentagon sought to play down any provocative intentions behind the flights, and some Western officials chalked up Russia’s increasingly far-flung military activity to a retrenched power attempting to assert its global presence again.

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My Comment: Ukraine, sanctions, placing missile defenses in eastern Europe, etc. .... the Russians had to respond ... and for the moment this is the best that they could do .... sending old bombers near the U.S. coast. And while the focus is justifiably on all of these Russian aircraft flights .... the question that I would like to have answered is .... why did the Russians take so long to respond?