MSN (Rueters): Swedish 'Cold War' thriller exposes Baltic Sea nerves over Russia

[Jumbo]

http://www.msn.com/en-us/news/world/swedish-cold-war-thriller-exposes-baltic-sea-nerves-over-russia/ar-BBaelfW?ocid=ansnewsreu11

 

 

 

 

STOCKHOLM - It has all the makings of a Cold War thriller -- an emergency military deployment with stealth ships and helicopters hunting for a foreign submarine in the Stockholm archipelago. Grainy photographs of a mysterious vessel. Sightings of a black-clad man wading in shallow coastal waters.

 

Whether it was caused by paranoia or a secret naval mission, Sweden's biggest military mobilization since the Cold War over the last three days has underscored growing concerns about Russian President Vladimir Putin's intentions in the Baltic Sea region.

   

In just over a month, an Estonian intelligence officer has been reported abducted by Russian forces, Finland has complained of Russian interference with one of its research vessels, and Sweden has lodged an official protest over a "serious violation" when Russian warplanes entered its air space.

 

 

Growing tensions since the Ukraine crisis have already caused Sweden and Finland, both avowedly neutral before joining the EU in 1994, to openly discuss NATO membership.

 

Sweden's own military questioned its ability to defend itself for more than a week against a Russian attack after NATO warplanes were scrambled last year to meet Russian bombers rehearsing a bomb run on Sweden.

 

"This kind of incident deepens the sense of insecurity not only in Sweden but also the rest of the Baltic Sea region," said Anna Wieslander, deputy director at the Swedish Institute of International Affairs.

 

"It is a long-term game that they have been playing," Wieslander said, adding that Russia has been gradually modernizing its forces under Putin. "Tensions have been building up before the Ukraine crisis but these incidents have now become more frequent."

 

The Swedish daily Svenska Dagbladet, citing unidentified sources, said the latest incident had begun when encrypted radio traffic on an emergency frequency was intercepted on Friday from the Stockholm archipelago to the enclave of Kaliningrad, home to the Russian Baltic Fleet.

 

The Netherlands has denied reports from Russia that the source could be a Dutch naval submarine.

 

For Swedes, the affair evokes memories of 1981, when a Soviet submarine known by its Swedish designation U137 was stranded near a major naval base deep inside Swedish waters.

 

Swedes have been reading avidly about reports of a Russian ship with underwater recovery equipment heading to Swedish waters and a tanker circling the seas near Stockholm, adding to a sense of new Cold War espionage on their doorstep.

 

Swedish media said military intelligence was investigating a report that a man dressed in black had been spotted wading in an inlet between two islands, one of which, Korso, is used by the Swedish military and is off limits to the public.

 

<more at link>

 

I have been wondering for some time how hard we may be butting heads (or exchanging ordnance) with a re-engineered Russia in Cold War II , if that is where the future is headed.

 

I accept the premise that in most any human endeavor where things are "ranked" and there is competition, one (whether individual, institution, or nation) can only be "#1"  for so long.

I figure--and history supports me--that matters like "global influence" or "most powerful nation" have no exclusionary principle to this premise built-in. Now I'm adding a tangential thought/topic to the actual news topic here, but I wonder when the USA's time to be #2 comes (if it does?), what it will look like. 

 

For awhile China's been the popular pick as the New Big Dog that's only gonna get bigger, but I think our rooskie  (an old Alaska term---I could always see them trying to sneak-crawl across the tundra from atop my moose) pals are in for a major resurgence.

 

Maybe I'm just nostalgic about sitting on the elementary school hallway floors while those old corrugated metal dividing doors sealed off sections as part of our preparing for the rooskies nuking the Nike missile base overlooking our little community.

 

​PS--I have no idea why the text and other formatting is acting weird at this time, other than this site often seems like a real POS from an IT/software-as-implemented POV.

[Larry]

Well, it sure seems like Russia has a plan to try to swamp NATO with new members.

[Jumbo]

I find Russia as fascinating as ever, including their becoming the Microsoft of global organized crime with a deep and widespread (and very active) level of local and national government "involvement" that has evolved over the last three decades in the effort.

 

I think an even more formidable (influential/powerful) Russia than its manifestation as a cold war nuclear threat/military giant is a likely future.

[mcsluggo]

Nah.... we had Russia the super power.  Russia 2.0 is turning into "wannabe Sicilian"  

 

it is a country with vast amounts of oil, and a well educated population... but at this point the capricious regulatory and governing framework is severely hampering any real economic strides (other than organized crime) outside of the hydrocarbons sector 

[Riggo-toni]

Good thing our Prez looked into the eyes of Putypoot and saw into his soul that he was a good man. Otherwise, I would be really worried.