Crisis Widens. Situation is “Dire”.
USANN Correspondent Gary Schneider
October 13th, 2004
Washington
Video
footage
taken
from
Nicosia
before
loss of
feed.
The growing crisis with Russia increased
dramatically on Wednesday with word that
Russian forces had launched a nighttime invasion
of Cyprus in the Mediterranean Sea.
All reporting has ceased from within Cyprus as
initial reports of Russian troops began to filter in
to USANN’s field office in Nicosia, the capital
city.
“At this time, we can see airborne troops landing
outside of the airport and there is the sound of
heavy gunfire to the south of the city,” said
USANN’s Cyprus correspondent Irene Gleason.
Shortly after the report, all lines to Cyprus went
dead.
The invasion of Cyprus caused ‘deep shock’
within the White House.
“Cyprus has no involvement in this issue and why
Russia has chosen to thumb their nose at the
world body by invading a country that the UN has
worked to free for decades is incomprehensible,”
said a White House spokesperson.
The Pentagon, however, explains the situation
more clearly:
“It’s obvious now that Finland was not an isolated
incident,” said a Pentagon official. “Russia has
chosen Cyprus because it’s strategically located
in the eastern Med and is an ideal springboard to
critical areas in southern Europe and perhaps,
even the Middle East.”
He added: “Russia is putting all the chess pieces
in place to do something far more dramatic.”
Where is Putin?
The major question on most lips within Washington
and the UN is ‘where is Putin?’
In the days leading up to and following the invasion of
Finland, the Kremlin has issued no statement, nor has
Putin been before cameras. Increasingly, Washington
insiders are stating that Putin may be “out-of-the-
loop”.
“Either Putin has split personality syndrome,” said one
State Department official, “or Putin is no longer
calling the shots in Russia.”
US intelligence has closely watched a growing
nationalistic movement within Moscow over the past
year, but most insiders feel that this ‘fringe’ group did
not wield true power. Now, Washington is giving this
group a second look.
“Someone is pulling the strings, and it isn’t people
that we’ve worked with over the past 15 years.”
NATO Waits
Despite the Russian invasion of Cyprus, NATO
continues to deliberate whether or not to ‘enter the
fight.’ After a full week since Finland’s invasion, no
NATO member has declared war but have instead cut
relations with Russia in protest. This has caused a
deepening rift between NATO and the US.
“Finland and now Cyprus.” said Senator Henry
Ackerman (R) South Dakota. “When is NATO going
to wake up? When Poland Falls? When Germany
falls? NATO had best wake up before it finds itself
with Russian tanks at their door.”
Chinese Missile Boats Sunk
The US navy announced Tuesday that 2 Chinese
ballistic missile subs were located and sunk off the
coast of Baja, California.
“It’s obviously distressing that China has chosen to
move subs armed with nuclear warheads near our
coast,” said a naval official. “And rest assured that any
Chinese naval vessel of any kind will be destroyed if it
approaches our shores.”
