Russia Warns U.S. Over Naval Incident As NATO Tensions Laid Bare

[ffr]

8. I was about to say the same.

Less Cuba, I don't think there are any U.S. neighbors where they could perform joint Warsaw Pact exercises like we're doing with Poland, a former Warsaw Pact member (1955- 1990) from the Soviet Union days. If they performed unilateral exercises off DC or NY, that would be provoking. On that note:

July Fourth message not the first from Russian bombers
<snip>
On June 4, 2014, U.S. fighter jets intercepted Russian bombers off Alaska and California following a string of aerial encounters over the Pacific.

According to U.S. defense officials, four long-range Russian Tu-95 Bear-H bombers, accompanied by an aerial refueling tanker, flew into the U.S. Air Defense Identification Zone, an area extending 200 miles from the North American coast, off Alaska, where they were intercepted by U.S. F-22 fighter jets.

Two of the Russian bombers peeled off and headed west, while the other two flew south and were identified by U.S. F-15 fighters within 50 miles of the California coast.
<snip>
Davis said the Russian planes were entirely within their rights, and it was a professional encounter on both sides. He said in 2014 that Russian flights into the air defense zone are intercepted about 10 times a year. CNN.COM Updated July 23, 2015