Russian Sub Surfaces Near Alaska Amid Massive War Game

TRUNEWS with RICK WILES Amid reports the Russian Navy is conducting a massive war game, one of its submarines suddenly surfaced near Alaska in the Bering Sea, yet still in international waters, “well outside U.S. territory,” according to U.S. Northern Command. The Russian Defense Ministry announced today it was – or had been – conducting the unnamed war game involving more than 50 warships and about 40 aircraft. The drills took place in area spanning from the Chukchi Peninsula to the Gulf of Anadyr near the Bering Strait that separates Siberia from Alaska. In the midst of the exercise, the submarine K-186, which is believed to have been named Omsk, surfaced – a highly unusual move for a nuclear-powered submarine, particularly given its mission profile. As part of the Project 949A Antey class, it is a former ballistic missile submarine that has been repurposed to fire guided missiles instead. It’s a former third generation submarine laid down in 1989 and first launched in 1993 that had the NATO class designation Oscar II. It completed its overhaul, switching out its sortie of SLBMs for SLGMs in 2008, making it one of the oldest such submarines in the Russian fleet. One possible cause for the submarine to suddenly surface would be some kind of emergency onboard. But, U.S. Northern Command – which said it was previously aware of the submarine – said it has not received any requests to provide assistance, nor has it heard any distress call from the sub. But spokesman Bill Lewis seemed to emphasize something could be wrong with the sub: “We have not received any requests for assistance from the Russian Navy or other mariners in the area. We always stand ready to assist those in distress. We closely track vessels of interest, including foreign military naval vessels, in our area of responsibility.” Area Coast Guard spokesman Kip Wadlow told Stars and Stripes: “We were notified by multiple fishing vessels that were operating out of the Bering Se that they had come across these vessels and were concerned. So, they contacted us.” Wadlow noted, however, the submarine was among those listed as part of a pre-planned military exercise in international waters. The Russian Defense Ministry said the Omsk was one of two vessels that test-fired Onyx cruise missiles during the exercise. The Russian Navy’s top admiral, Nikolai Yevmenov, noted the drills were unprecedented for the fleet, adding they were part of Moscow’s efforts to boost its presence in the Arctic: “We are building up our forces to ensure the economic development of the region. We are getting used to the Arctic spaces.” Russia has been rebuilding and expanding its military facilities throughout the polar regions in recent years. Most analysts believe that’s because Russia intends to lay claim to most, if not all, of the resources found under the polar ice cap. Last year, Russian President Vladimir Putin estimated the value of mineral and energy resources in the area to be in excess of $30 trillion. Experts say it likely possess one quarter of the Earth’s remaining undiscovered oil and gas reserves. Another sign of Russia’s growing interest in the Arctic was a recent military exercise carried out in the Baltic Sea. Sweden took that drill as a threat and mobilized its military forces to beef up the defense of Gotland, a scenic island that has little value beyond its tourism industry, but is strategically located in the middle of the Baltic, a little more than 100 miles northwest of Russia’s Kaliningrad province. According to The New York Times, Sweden deployed four warships, and unspecified numbers of ground forces and warplanes on the island. Tuesday, vacationers going to the island were startled when several armored personnel carriers and other military equipment boarded their ferry, which was then escorted by a Swedish warship and several warplanes for the duration of their trip to the island. Meawhile, in another sign that the old Cold War is heating back up, Putin has announced that he sent Russian troops into Belarus on Thursday to take part in a 10-day exercise with troops loyal to Belarussian President Alexander Lukashenko. The Russian president described the troops as “law enforcement reservists.” He said these new units were created specifically to provide “assistance” to Lukashenko from undisclosed units. Some have suggested that means they are special operators working for the Wagner Group paramilitary organization occasionally billed as “Putin’s private army.” Those who have been paying attention have noticed that the current political crisis in Belarus closely resembles the 2014 Euromaidan revolution in Ukraine, which saw that country “Balkanized” into pro-West and pro-Russia factions. In the meantime, Russia seized Crimea and complete control of access to the Black Sea via the Kerch Strait. Belarus borders Russia roughly 200 miles from Moscow and Ukraine approximately 50 miles from Kyiv. It also shares borders with the U.S. NATO allies Lithuania, Latvia, and Estonia – known as the former Soviet satellite states – and Poland. (Photo Credit: Russian Navy) www.trunews.com