RESET: Russia’s top spin doctor in nuclear warning.

“A Russian takes a long time to harness a horse, but then rides fast,” said the news anchor, quoting a famous Russian saying.

By “riding fast”, Kiselyov was referring to a string of recent Russian military deployments:

•Last week, Moscow sent three warships from the Black Sea Fleet to the Mediterranean: on board, cruise missiles that can carry nuclear warheads

•Russia deployed nuclear-capable Iskander-M missiles into the Kaliningrad region bordering Poland

•The Russians announced they would send 5,000 paratroopers to Egypt for military exercises

•Moscow also suspended three nuclear agreements with the United States

Kiselyov said that in recent days there had been a “radical change’ in the US-Russian relationship.

Moscow was taking action, he said, because of “the loud talk in Washington of a ‘Plan B’ for Syria. Everyone understands what this plan means: direct military force in Syria against President Assad’s forces and the Russian military”.

In Washington, the US state department said last week it was continuing internal deliberations about “non-diplomatic” options regarding the war in Syria.

I came of age politically during one of the tensest parts of the Cold War: From the Soviet invasion of Afghanistan, through the KAL 007 shootdown, to the Pershing II missile deployment.

And I can’t recall Moscow ever talking like this before.

Much more of this Smart Diplomacy and we’re going to find ourselves in a shooting war with Russia over Syria.