"The Victor Leonov, armed with an array of intelligence gathering equipment used to intercept communications and analyze U.S. Navy sonar capability, later traveled within 30 miles off the Connecticut coast near a submarine base earlier this week.
“It’s lawful [and] similar to operations we do around the world,” Pentagon spokesman Capt. Jeff Davis told reporters Friday.
The Russian spy ship left her homeport in the Barents Sea near Norway, part of Russia’s northern fleet, around New Year’s Day, according to American defense officials. Following a port call in Jamaica, the Russian ship then began its voyage north along the east coast of the United States.
The deployment of the Russian intelligence-gathering ship was likely planned for months before it set sail in early January, according to U.S. defense officials. They said it apparently was not tied to the Obama administration’s Dec. 29 order that Moscow shut down two of its “vacation” properties, which the U.S. government said were used to intercept American communications. One was on New York's Long Island and the other was at Maryland’s Eastern Shore.
It’s the first time the Viktor Leonov has appeared off the east coast of the United States since April 2015. The ship was spotted in Havana Harbor in January 2015 as the Obama administration eased relations with Cuba. U.S." Foxnews
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This is fun for the feebleminded warmongers of the world . All major powers, ALL MAJOR POWERS operate big, roomy cargo type ships as SIGINT collect platforms around the world. WE DO IT as Captain, USN Jeff Davis told the world from the Pentagon. Do the names USS Liberty and USS Pueblo mean anything to you? Do they strike a bell?
This ship, the Russian Navy vessel Viktor Leonov is engaged in lawful and non-threatening routine SIGINT collection operations. If we had any sense we would invite them into Norfolk for a liberty port call. The restaurants, bars and whores down there could used the business.
The Viktor Leonov is "armed?" with a couple of anti-aircraft machine guns. I, personally, feel menaced. pl
BTW, the little guy in this picture is a sister ship of Viktor Leonov. The big guy is USS Texas.
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Vishnya-class_intelligence_ship
At one time, things were different. US troops marched in Red Square as part of the May Day parade. Our SF and their Spetsnaz even began training together. In the Cold War days of the early 80s, the closest we got to each other was one alpine ridge away. Both teams were in Austrian Army uniforms going through the Army Mountain Guide School. We waved at each other with our ski poles.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=I8WHnUmXtJs&spfreload=10
The original Victor Leonov was quite the brave naval scout commander:
“In October 1944 Leonov led an operation to neutralize a heavily defended German coastal artillery emplacement at Cape Krestovy, whose 15 cm guns defended the entrance to strategically vital Petsamo Bay on the Kola Peninsula.[16] Leonov led a company in a secret landing further along the coast before undertaking a two-day cross country march to Cape Krestovy.[17] There they captured a battery of 8.8 cm dual purpose guns and used them both to repel a counterattack and to shell the main gun position.[18] This forced the Germans into destroying the coastal guns for the fear of them falling into Soviet hands.[19] Leonov was awarded Hero of the Soviet Union after this raid.[20]
…As a testament to his leadership, Leonov lost only nine men under his direct command. Mostly from the assault at Cape Krestovyi(seven killed) until the end of the war against Japan.[25]
Leonov entered the Naval Reserve in 1956 and later retired as a Captain 2nd rank.
His World War II experiences as a Soviet Naval Scout were recounted in his popular memoir “Blood on the Shores”.[27] The Soviet Naval Scouts have been compared to the U.S. Navy SEALs and were a forerunner to the Soviet Special Ops forces “Spetsnaz”.”
https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Viktor_Leonov
I think I will still sleep at night.
Linda
You always had steadier nerves than I. I fear that many will think I actually believe the Good Ship Lollypop is a threat. Did you ever see the movie? pl
Yeah, we do it too. But we are the most exceptional and indispensable nation on the planet, therefore our SIGINT is completely innocent and unthreatening. Russia and Putin are the spawn of Satan or Stalin ( depends on whom you ask), therefore the Leonov’s presence is sinister and completely illegal. End of snark. But seriously, fanning anti-Russkie hysteria is good for the Borg’s agenda, what with Americans having turned into a nation of scaredy pussies with fainting couches even in campus safe spaces…
On January 21, 1968 third-one NK’s infiltrated through our AO on their way to Seoul and the Blue House Raid. We swept the hills around Munsani for two days when we got word that they had taken a US Ship and we moved out to our assigned positions. We had a basic load for our small arms and 105’s. It was the dead ass middle of winter and we had no idea what was going to happen. Yea, the Pueblo means something to me.
The Clintonistas on Facebook n Twitter are so overwrought about this it’s getting hilarious and I’m afraid that left me no choice and forced me to point out to them Hillary Sold Out the Entire Western World by giving the Rooskies 20% of the planet’s uranium. The howling has become intense, but not melodic, so I suppose I’ll have to do a little fine-tuning over the weekend to see if I can get ’em to sing in tune.
I suppose it’s a little like cruelly teasing puppies and I ought to feel ashamed, but somehow I don’t – guess it’s just an untreated character flaw I have.
For everyone’s fun, here’s a link to the trailer for The Russians Are Coming, followed by a link to Theo Bikel singing a Roosian folk song…
http://www.videodetective.com/movies/the-russians-are-coming-the-russians-are-coming/710
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Vtc-TpajqXA
Fortunately Google News allows us to see where the story originated: Debkafile. Followed by Daily Mail, Fox Tampa Bay, Daily Star and NewsMax.
That is some serious right-wing echo chamber provenance.
Trump should make you national security adviser. No joke.
Our media regularly bombards us with scare stories of a Russian ship/Bear bomber passing within a hundred miles of British airspace. I fear a relatively effective form of propaganda but subject to diminishing marginal returns.
You “pointed out” did you? Did you care that it wasn’t true?
Whoever is doing these stories – the 20% of world’s uranium fable, the T’s gonna send in 100,000 troops ‘working paper’ – are masterful fabulists. It’s as if the improvements of several generations of National Enquirer writers and editors have risen to the pinnacle of their craft. The 100,000 troops one was especially good [link – https://www.documentcloud.org/documents/3467508-Trump-National-Guard-Draft-Memo.html?utm_campaign=SocialFlow&utm_source=Twitter&utm_medium=AP%5D.
Lots of names, careful citations, crafted to lead readers into their biases, no addresses or phone numbers so only someone w a stuffed rolodex could get to work on it quickly, appear to not be originals but xeroxes so anything embedded by the original printer is probably impossible to sleuth out. Best of all is the explosive vision it provokes of legions of weekend warriors gathering at small town armories in their 100s and their 1000s, while neglecting some basics, like who’s got a list of the illegals’ names and addresses?, what to do if resistance arises – issue ammo? what are the ROE?
And it’s all totally deniable, and, once the reader gets over the exciting headlines, implausible.
Robin Wright in the New Yorker:
Quote:
On Russia, Trump is really floundering. During the campaign and into his Presidency, he has been consistent on one thing: improving relations with the Russian President, Vladimir Putin. “If we have a good relationship with Russia, believe me, that’s a good thing, not a bad thing,” he reiterated at his press conference on Thursday, despite a series of Russian provocations presumably meant to test the new Administration—a spy ship travelling up and down the East Coast, Russian fighter jets buzzing a U.S. destroyer in the Black Sea, and a ballistic-missile test interpreted by experts as a violation of arms accords.
Asked about these events at his press conference Thursday, Trump described all three actions as “not good,” but neither condemned them nor said whether he planned to take action. I was in Moscow last week, and the analysts I met clearly thought Russia had gained an edge over the United States since Trump moved into the Oval Office.
End quote.
http://www.newyorker.com/news/news-desk/trumps-flailing-foreign-policy-bewilders-the-world
LondonBob
I read the online versions of a few British papers and I’m rather surprised at how Borgist they are. Yes, there are many alarmist columns on the Rooskie Bear prowling the shores of the Isles.
And now the spectacle of the good ol Tony making a political comeback, after lining his pockets doing duty to the Middle East sheikhs, to lead the Remainers to the promised land of EU kumbaya.
What a hoot it will be if Geert Wilders and Ms. Le Pen win their elections. I can’t imagine the meltdown we will see. While I’m thoroughly amused with the hysteria we are seeing, there is also something sinister, when the western IC are working in cahoots to take down our duly elected POTUS.
For those who actually care, here is a pretty sensible account of the Uranium deal: https://www.nytimes.com/2015/04/24/us/cash-flowed-to-clinton-foundation-as-russians-pressed-for-control-of-uranium-company.html.
IMO, the issue wasn’t that the Russians got control of a mining company. It was the appearance of impropriety.
As the Russians gradually assumed control of Uranium One in three separate transactions from 2009 to 2013, Canadian records show, a flow of cash made its way to the Clinton Foundation. Uranium One’s chairman used his family foundation to make four donations totaling $2.35 million. Those contributions were not publicly disclosed by the Clintons, despite an agreement Mrs. Clinton had struck with the Obama White House to publicly identify all donors. Other people with ties to the company made donations as well.
Under the “Open Skies Treaty” Soviet/Russian planes with surveillance gear have been flying over the United States for years supposedly to monitor nuclear armament as we do to their country. Thus a bucket of rust a few miles off our shores with old Signit equipment is no threat to anyone but the crew onboard. Actually this has been going on for years and just a normal event as they have utilized Russian & other country flagged vessels on a regular basis to monitor our submarine fleet when they depart and return home. Remember the Soviet fishing fleets of the seventies were just 50 miles or so off our shore and there always was a Signit vessel or two with those fleets at all times. Its not like we do not do the same on a regular basis. Just a bunch of hoopla to rile the masses.
All these fake news stories bombarding us from left and right does have its upside. It is forcing the public to dig out their own news, evaluate it by comparing all the different versions of a story, and then making up their own minds.
From having been horribly ignorant for years, we are now starting to have an informed electorate which is the basis of any true democracy. Hopefully.
Perfect Borgist doublespeak!
Clearly only doing duty inside the echo chamber.
At most of the ports we used there were always the Russian Trawler type signet/visual type collector ships. I always felt for those Russian sailors just bobbing around for months on station just to watch the fleet ships come and go. One day while leaving port I asked the Captain about loading up fresh fruit, inexpensive xchange liquor, and fresh meat to deliver using our ships boat to the Russian trawler. The Captain said he though it was a downright civil act, however within 48 hours he would be in command of a remote desk in the Pentagon.
Common people in England get their news from tabloids very similar in content and style of the US publication “The National Enquirer”.
And just like that august publication, its English counterparts check and check and check again before they publish anything.
Your Captain was an optimist, Peter.
I’d have guessed his next command would’ve been a PB boat based at Marquette, L Superior.
We waved at each other with our ski poles.
TTG, you mentioned that before. I guess you cannot tell me about the specific alpine ridges? I love both mountains, especially the Alps, and the sea.
Concerning the video or 2012 news, real or propaganda? Leaning towards fake, admittedly.
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Russia%E2%80%93United_States_relations#Increased_tension:_Overview:_2012.E2.80.932015
interesting:
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/USS_Pueblo_(AGER-2)
LeaNder,
There was nothing fake about it. It happened as did a reciprocal visit to Russia by a 10th SF Group team. We Special Forces types, of all nationalities, are not dim-witted politicians. We are men who know death and life who do what needs to be done in war and peace. Mark my word, if the American people and their politicians ever find a way to pull their collective heads out of their fat, spreading asses, it will be the Green Berets and the Russian Spetsnaz who lead the way. It will start with them working together to hunt down and kill those miserable jihadis.
Politically, both the People’s Republic of China and the Russian Federation are in much better position than the United States, UK and EU in regards to the Muslim World.
You see, neither China nor Russia tried to adjudicate among Muslims or take sides in their quarrels.
TTG
When I was DATT in Yemen the head of the Soviet military mission came to my house for a steak and shrimp cookout. (I guess I should be investigated) this was the first of many such occasions including one in which I was asked to teach the Soviet embassy how to cook steaks. My idiot ambassador frowned on this but then, he was an idiot. The major general tankist had been at Torgau as a 17 year old lieutenant. When all others were absent from watching him and me cook, he said to me, “Lang, you and I understand each other. We should kill all the politicians…” We became great friends. Very useful. DOL pl