The Russkis Are Coming, The Russkis Are Coming!

The sense of relief amongst the media and politicians is almost plapable: Putin has finally made a move vis a vis Ukraine by recognising the two self-declared breakaway 'people's republics' in Eastern Ukaraine.  Prior to this, the rhetoric coming from politicians - particularly in the US and UK -.was becoming shrill and hysterical in its tone, ('the invasion has already started', bellowed the UK defence secretary, for instance, despite the fact that there still has been no 'invasion' as such).  They were desperate to be proven right after weeks of bellicose sabre rattling, with Putin refusing to oblige by sending his tanks over the border.  Of course, with Putin now promising to send 'peacekeepers' into Donetsk and 'Luhansk', we have the idiots trending '#worldwarthree' on Twitter.  Such an outcome is unlikely: as with previous Russian incursions into other former Soviet states' territories and even straightforward annexations like that of Crimea from Ukraine, there is realistically, little that NATO can do, other than shout and holler.  Even if member states still had the military strength, (which they don't - just look at how the UK's armed forces have been depleted over the past decade or so of Tory governments), they certainly don't have the will.  They talk the talk, but they simply can't walk the walk.  Unless they want to resort to nuclear strikes and they simply aren't going to risk a nuclear exchange over Ukraine, a non NATO member.  Sure, they can slap on economic sanctions, but the trouble is that Russia can undoubtedly hurt the West ecoomically in return, particularly with regard to gas supplies.  The unfortunate fact is that Putin has effectively called the West's bluff over Ukraine.  Which is what this has all been about - it isn't so much that he necessarily intends a full blown invasion of Ukraine, but more that, as he's demonstrated, nobody could stop him if he does.

On a slightly lighter note, I caught up with a film I hadn't seen in decades this weekend: The Russians Are Coming, The Russians Are Coming (1966).  A hugely popular, not to mention critically acclaimed, film in its day, it is now largely forgotten.  A sprawling comedy about the panic that ensues when a Russian submarine runs aground on a sandbar near an island off the coast of New England, it actually wears quite well.  If nothing else, it is superbly photographed, with director Norman Jewison perfectly capturing that lazy end-of-summer ambience of a small community, whose normally placid lifestyle is suddenly shattered by unexpected events.  As rumours of a an invasion - sparked by the mainly incompetent Russian landing party sent ashore to try and secure a boat large enough to tow the submarine off of the sandbar - chaos escalates, with an armed militia whipping up panic and a harassed police chief trying to keep a grip on the situation.  It is helped by enjoyable performances from the likes of Alan Arkin (as the leader of the landing party), Theodore Bikel (as the sub captain), Brian Keith as the police chief and Carl Reiner as a writer holidaying on the island.  Even John Philip Law is there, as a Russian sailor who becomes involved with a local girl (played by Andrea Dromm in one of her only three credited acting roles - her first having been as Yeoman Smith in the second Star Trek pilot episode).  Anyway, I couldn't help but thin that the time might be right for a remake.  Perhaps this time a Russian sub could run aground off the Ukrainian coast, with hilarious results: a nuclear exchange.  Maybe this time around the Russian sailors could be hostile, rather than the comedically harmless ones of the original, deciding to engage in a bit of rape pillage and plunder, having heard Western radio broadcasts featuring politicians ranting and raving about Russian invasions of Ukraine and assuming that the war has already started...