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Russians unconcerned by Kremlin’s saber-rattling

FOR STORY RUSSIA TALK OF WAR - In this photo taken on Thursday, Oct. 20, 2016, a fisherman angles fish at the bay of the Russian Baltic Fleet base of Baltiysk, Russia. Despite the mounting tensions between Russia and NATO, and civil defence drills involving millions, the Russian people seem largely oblivious to a threat of a new Cold War. (AP Photo/Nataliya Vasilyeva)
FOR STORY RUSSIA TALK OF WAR - In this photo taken on Thursday, Oct. 20, 2016, a fisherman angles fish at the bay of the Russian Baltic Fleet base of Baltiysk, Russia. Despite the mounting tensions between Russia and NATO, and civil defence drills involving millions, the Russian people seem largely oblivious to a threat of a new Cold War. (AP Photo/Nataliya Vasilyeva) FOR STORY RUSSIA TALK OF WAR - In this photo taken on Thursday, Oct. 20, 2016, a fisherman angles fish at the bay of the Russian Baltic Fleet base of Baltiysk, Russia. Despite the mounting tensions between Russia and NATO, and civil defence drills involving millions, the Russian people seem largely oblivious to a threat of a new Cold War. (AP Photo/Nataliya Vasilyeva)

By Associated Press 4 min read

BALTIYSK, Russia (AP) – Russia held civil defense drills involving 40 million people this month, the largest since the collapse of the Soviet Union. State media broadcast instantly recognizable Soviet imagery, showing school children trying on gas masks, and urge viewers to find the nearest bomb shelter “before it’s too late.”

But while these reports fuel Western fears of a new Cold War, ordinary Russians don’t seem too worried.

Even in Kaliningrad, a heavily militarized Russian outpost surrounded by NATO members Lithuania and Poland, people see the messages as mere posturing.

The harbor of Baltiysk, home of Russia’s Baltic Fleet, is downright sleepy. On a recent morning, fisherman lounged by the pier as sailors put a fresh coat of paint on a missile ship across the bay.

“It’s laughable because no one here is planning to attack anyone,” said Olga Zyukina, feeding swans with her 16-month-old son. “I think our president is smart and he has no need to give such orders.”