Russian Bombers Will Patrol Near US Shores

A "dangerous game of brinkmanship" just got a little closer to home: Russia is sending long-range bombers to do rounds "in the western Atlantic and eastern Pacific, as well as the Caribbean and the Gulf of Mexico," with Russia's defense minister blaming NATO's "anti-Russia inclinations," reports the Los Angeles Times. (And no, you haven't woken up during the Cold War—yet.) The area will include borders of US territorial waters. As Russian tanks move into Ukraine, indicating the ceasefire may have crumbled, the defense minister adds that Russia will also "maintain readiness of troops" on its border with eastern Ukraine and bulk up Crimea's defenses.

Meanwhile, the Australian Defense Force has sent ships and a surveillance aircraft to monitor four Russian warships moving toward northern Australia, days before the G20 summit in Brisbane, the BBC reports. Vladimir Putin is expected to attend, and Russian ships previously accompanied former Russian president Dmitry Medvedev to the APEC summit in Singapore in 2009 and San Francisco in 2010. The official response from Russia? The Pacific fleet is testing its range capability should Russia ever choose to do climate change research in the Antarctic. Oh, and Putin could need some extra protection, too, a rep tells 7 News. (More Russia stories.)