Vladimir Putin is making sure the world knows that his relationship with Barack Obama, Hillary Clinton, and the Western world has turned for the worst in recent years.
The Russian military conducted drills involving their new state-of-the art missiles near the nation's western border, according to the Associated Press. The Defense Ministry said Thursday that the drills involved Iskander-M missiles. The war games were held at a shooting range near the city of Luga, about 100 kilometers (60 miles) east of the border with Estonia.
And to show even more bravado, eight Russian vessels led by a nuclear-powered aircraft carrier are moving through the English Channel and are expected to pass through the Dover Straits tomorrow morning. They are expected to link up with two more ships which would mean 10 heavily-armed Russian ships will be operating just miles from the British coast.
The Ministry of Defense said “it is pretty unambiguous that they have set a course to pass through the Dover Strait.”
The Russian navy deployment will increase its firepower in Syria, where it has conducted an air campaign in support of President Bashar Assad's army for more than a year.
"They are off to conduct a mission. They are off to conduct it off Syria," Peter Roberts, a senior research fellow for sea power and maritime studies at the Royal United Services Institute said. "They are very focused on their mission."