Last Friday, October 7, while the U.S. media (and a not-insignificant portion of the world) was consumed by comments made in 2005 by Donald Trump in which he appears to advocate sexual assault, the Russian propaganda machine was in overdrive. We compiled a long list of news stories and statements by Russian officials that suggested that the relationship between the West and Russia was reaching a record low, and tensions were more elevated than they have been in recent memory:

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There were even items that did not make that list — like the fact that the U.S. government has officially accused the Russian government of interfering in its Presidential election. But today that tension has increased even further. The Associated Press is reporting that the Russian military claims to have conducted three different ballistic missiles tests: two ballistic missiles were fired from submarines, and one Topol intercontinental ballistic missile was fired from the ground. This comes less than a week after Russia made its most provocative move — the landing of Iskander ballistic missiles in Kaliningrad:

the Guardian Set as default press image Russia transfers nuclear-capable missiles to Kaliningrad Russia has moved nuclear-capable Iskander-M missiles into the Kaliningrad enclave bordering Poland and Lithuania, the Russian defence ministry said on Saturday, adding it was part of routine drills. "These missile units have been deployed more than once (in the Kaliningrad region) … View full page →

There are more signs that Russia is ramping up their saber-rattling propaganda effort. Take, for instance, Russian lawmaker and Putin-ally Vladimir Zhirinovsky, who told Reuters that if Americans vote for Donald Trump they are voting for peace, but if they elect Hillary Clinton they will only bring war: “Relations between Russia and the United States can’t get any worse. The only way they can get worse is if a war starts,” said Zhirinovsky, speaking in his huge office on the 10th floor of Russia’s State Duma, or lower house of parliament. “Americans voting for a president on Nov. 8 must realize that they are voting for peace on Planet Earth if they vote for Trump. But if they vote for Hillary it’s war. It will be a short movie. There will be Hiroshimas and Nagasakis everywhere.”

Reuters Set as default press image Putin ally tells Americans: vote Trump or face nuclear war MOSCOW Americans should vote for Donald Trump as president next month or risk being dragged into a nuclear war, according to a Russian ultra-nationalist ally of President Vladimir Putin who likes to compare himself to the U.S. Republican candidate. View full page →

Russian President Vladimir Putin himself made interesting statements today. The Russian government has always denied sending troops into the Donbass region of eastern Ukraine. But today, Putin nearly admitted sending Russian troops into the Donbass when he said that Russia was “forced, I want to stress, forced to defend the Russian-speaking population in the Donbass, forced to respond to the desire of the people living in Crimea to return to being part of the Russian Federation.”

Interpretermag Set as default press image Putin Claims Russia Was 'Forced To Defend Russian-Speaking Population In Donbass' Meanwhile heavy shelling is reported today near Mariupol and Avdeyevka View full page →

Why admit this now? It plays into the Russian government that Putin is the peacemaker while the West, led by Barack Obama, is the aggressor. The subtext is also obvious — if Russia was “forced” to protect ethnic Russians living abroad in Ukraine then, then it could be “forced” to respond to Western aggression now. The Russian government its efforts to project power in the Middle East, a campaign which kicked into high-gear last week:

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Then there are more subtle rumors. The Russian independent website Znak.com reported that the Russian government has instructed high-level Russian officials to bring home any children who are currently abroad because of an unspecified security threat and worsening international relations. Furthermore, the advisory was to bring them home immediately, even if students are in the middle of a semester. This particular rumor has been dismissed by some Russian officials who claim they have not heard of it, but the rumor, or at least the discussion of the rumor, has spread to Russian state-owned news agencies like TASS and to international news agencies like The Daily Star and The Daily Mail, both UK publications.

Interpretermag Sources Say Kremlin Urges Officials to Bring Children Home from Abroad; Spokesman Denies LIVE UPDATES: Sources told Znak that the Kremlin has issued an advisory to Russian officials telling them to bring their children studying abroad back to Russia. But the Kremlin and MPs deny the story. View full page →