Two nuclear-powered Russian attack submarines have been patrolling in international waters off the East Coast for several days, in activity reminiscent of the Cold War, defense officials said Tuesday.

U.S. Northern Command would not comment on the Russian submarines' movement. But in a prepared statement, Northern Command spokesman Michael Kucharek acknowledged the patrols and said the U.S. has been monitoring the two submarines.

Two senior U.S. officials, however, said the submarines had been patrolling several hundred miles off the coast and so far had done nothing to provoke U.S. military concerns. The officials provided details on condition of anonymity in order to discuss intelligence reports.

While the incident raises eyebrows, it did not trigger the more intense reaction by the U.S. military that Russia prompted when two of its bombers buzzed an American aircraft carrier in the western Pacific in February 2008. U.S. fighter planes intercepted the two Russian fighters, including one that flew directly over the USS Nimitz twice at an altitude of about 2,000 feet.

The event did not escalate beyond that, but it signaled a more aggressive military agenda by Moscow.

The latest incident, which was first reported by The New York Times, comes amid increased Russian military activity in the region, and as the Obama administration works to thaw tense relations with Moscow over plans for a missile defense system in Central Europe.

Just last week a senior Pentagon official said the administration is looking at options for the plan, which would install 10 interceptors in Poland and a radar system in the Czech Republic. Assistant Secretary of Defense Alexander Vershbow told Congress members that the Obama administration is looking at various configurations as part of its review of missile defense plans.

Russia, meanwhile, conducted naval exercises with Venezuela last year in the Caribbean and sent one of its warships through the Panama Canal for the first time since World War II. The exercises with Venezuela were the first deployment of Russian ships to the Western Hemisphere since the Cold War.

Officials said they became aware of the most recent submarine activity off the East Coast early on through intelligence sources and were not notified by Moscow in advance of the patrols. They said the submarines have not crossed into U.S. waters, which extend 12 miles out into the ocean.

The statement issued by Northern Command and the North American Aerospace Defense Command said, "We have been monitoring them during transit and recognize the right of all nations to exercise freedom of navigation in international waters according to international law."

http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20090805/ap_on_go_ca_st_pe/us_russian_subs;_ylt=AoVacyW.BwfZkQqXMoflY0sDW7oF;_ylu=X3oDMTJsNnM4cWcxBGFzc2V0A2FwLzIwMDkwODA1L3VzX3J1c3NpYW5fc3VicwRwb3MDOQRzZWMDeW5fcGFnaW5hdGVfc3VtbWFyeV9saXN0BHNsawNhcHNvdXJjZXNydXM-

Not meant to offend russian posters, but...
Russian Military doesn't scare anybody anymore. Perhaps they scare more their own submarine crews.
Shouldn't russian authorities pay their fishermen crews scattered through many european ports asking for food, before spending money in nuclear submarines?
At Lisbon harbour, just like many other european ports, there are big russian fishery ships covered with rust and looking like they can berely stay afloat.

What about those 20 destroyers and everything we hear talking about since at least 1995? Thank India for keeping russian shipping industry alive.

Soviet Carrier Turns Into India's White Elephant

By PRATAP CHAKRAVARTY, AGENCE FRANCE-PRESSE
Published: 1 Aug 2009 10:25 Print | Email

NEW DELHI - When Russia gave India a retired Soviet aircraft carrier five years ago, New Delhi was delighted - little realizing the vessel would turn into a costly white elephant.

Russia, India's longtime weapons supplier, said in 2004 it would give the country the 44,570-ton "Admiral Gorshkov" as a gift, provided Delhi paid a Russian shipyard $974 million to refurbish the carrier.

Since then, the price has skyrocketed for fixing up the 27-year-old ship, which was decommissioned after the collapse of the Soviet Union.

In 2007, Russia demanded $850 million more, citing cost escalations.

Then, six months ago, Russia startled India with another demand - this time for 2.9 billion dollars.

It also pushed back the ship's delivery by four years to 2012 - a year after India must mothball its last remaining aircraft carrier, the British-origin INS Viraat.

Now India's national auditor has waded into the row, saying the navy could have paid less for a new carrier.

"At best, the Indian navy would be acquiring, belatedly, a second-hand ship with a limited lifespan by paying significantly more than what it would have paid for a new ship," it said in its military spending report.

The Russian price hikes have sparked outrage, forcing India's Defence Minister A.K. Antony to assure parliament this week that fresh negotiations were once again under way.

"At present, the price escalation is in the negotiation stage and nothing has been finalised," Antony said, but he conceded India was paying "a substantially huge price" for the Admiral's refit.

New Delhi has already paid hundreds of millions of dollars in advance to Russia's state-run Sevmash shipyard.

"It's no doubt giving India a severe headache but we're stuck with it because if we pull out now, we don't get back a penny," said retired Gen. V. N. Sharma, a former chief of India's million-plus army.

India must also dig deeper into its pocket for tens of millions of dollars extra to equip the docked Admiral Gorshkov with Sukhoi-30 warjets and Russian missiles, officials say.

Russia's state-run defence export agency Rosoboronexport, which is handling the deal, has rejected suggestions that it is short-changing India.

"Every step in the process of the refit of the aircraft carrier is monitored by the Indian navy's technical team and they have never raised objections," spokesman Vyacheslav Davidenko was quoted as saying by the Press Trust of India.

The shipyard refitting the vessel has insisted that the cost escalations are due to Indian demands for features not included in the original contract.

Minister Antony says New Delhi, which is trying to build an aircraft carrier of its own, was forced to turn to Russia as no other country would give India a tactical vessel of such a size.

Russia, which accounts for 70 percent of India's military hardware, has up to $9 billion worth of defense orders from New Delhi in the pipeline.

General Sharma said he believes the Russians "grossly miscalculated when writing up this contract in 2004".

But retired Rear Adm. Raja Menon, who was associated with the project, said he believes Russia is seeking to get as much out of India as it can.

He said Moscow is in the habit of arm-twisting its traditional weapons buyers.

"Russia's track record is very poor in this regard and this time the nation has to take a call on this," he said.

"In other contracts too they had escalated costs and thought they could get away with it again," Menon said.
http://www.defensenews.com/story.php?i=4215988&c=ASI&s=SEA