There was news this week of a Russian nuclear submarine patrolling near the U.S. East Coast.  The Wall Street Journal reported that two submarines came as near as 200 miles, yet remained in international waters according to U.S. Military officials.  A Russian general is brushing off American concerns calling it “a normal process” and saying they were getting bored just being “idle” and “making circles” :

A senior Russian general on Wednesday brushed off American concerns about two Russian submarines spotted off the East Coast of the United States, saying the patrols were routine and suggesting that the U.S. Navy carries out similar missions near Russia.

“I don’t know if there is any news in this news for anyone,” said Col. Gen. Anatoly Nogovitsyn, deputy chief of staff of the Russian armed forces. “The fleet shouldn’t sit on its hands and be idle.”…

…Asked at a news conference about the submarines, Nogovitsyn drew a comparison to the resumption of the long-range bomber missions. “This is our right. We got tired of flying circles on our routes and started strategic flights,” he said.

“And you remember how much clamor this caused at the time? Just because we started going out on combat patrols,” he continued. “But I must tell you that the battle potential of our strategic aviation is serious, and has only risen since then.”

“Long voyages of Russian submarines, this is a normal process,” he added, saying U.S. officials who are expressing concerns “understand this very well.”

Are we supposed to believe this, that a Russian fleet got bored being idle and making circles in the north seas and set out for an adventure?  Perhaps the Russians are up to something sinister.  Or, perhaps a couple of Russian submarine captains wanted to get a better view of an incredible land:

Whatever the case, we better be keeping our radar on and our scramblers on standby.