A US submarine was chased away by a Russian naval vessel, Moscow said on Saturday. The incident occurred in Russia’s territorial waters near the Kuril Islands in the Pacific when the sub refused to comply with the naval vessel’s command to surface, the Interfax news agency reported quoting a Russian defence ministry statement. 

However, Washington has denied the claim. “There is no truth to the Russian claims of our operations in their territorial waters,” a US military statement read. 

Russia accused the US government of breaking international law and creating a threat to national security over the incident. This comes at a time when the two countries share a tense standoff over the troop buildup at Ukraine’s borders. 

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As per the ministry’s statement, the naval vessel took unspecified measures which made the US submarine beat a hasty retreat. Naturally, the Ukraine crisis has the world on edge with Western nations issuing a warning that a war could break out at any moment. 

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The situation has grown dire with more troops being amassed. Russia has demanded that Ukraine’s entry into NATO be blocked by the organization, and they are also expected to reduce their military presence in eastern Europe. The US has rejected this demand and sent troops to bolster support while lending lethal aid to Ukraine. This term, coined by the Biden administration, entails the supply of arms and ammunition. 

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The looming threat of war has also been enough for the US to ask its country people to evacuate; a step followed by the British government as well. Meanwhile, Russia has denied any plans of an attack.

As the US and Russia have locked horns, European leaders have doubled down on the need for diplomatic talks with the Russian president, Vladimir Putin. While the aim has been to get Putin to de-escalate the situation at Ukraine’s borders, Russia has only flexed its military strength more. This has included military exercises and troop deployments.

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The Beijing Winter Olympics has also given Russian President Putin the chance to meet China’s leader Xi Jinping. Together, the countries have displayed a united front, with China urging the US to take cognizance of Russia’s security demands.