NZ Herald
  • Home
  • Latest news
  • Herald NOW
  • Video
  • New Zealand
  • Sport
  • World
  • Business
  • Entertainment
  • Podcasts
  • Quizzes
  • Opinion
  • Lifestyle
  • Travel
  • Viva
  • Weather

Subscriptions

  • Herald Premium
  • Viva Premium
  • The Listener
  • BusinessDesk

Sections

  • Latest news
  • New Zealand
    • All New Zealand
    • Crime
    • Politics
    • Education
    • Open Justice
    • Scam Update
  • Herald NOW
  • On The Up
  • World
    • All World
    • Australia
    • Asia
    • UK
    • United States
    • Middle East
    • Europe
    • Pacific
  • Business
    • All Business
    • MarketsSharesCurrencyCommoditiesStock TakesCrypto
    • Markets with Madison
    • Media Insider
    • Business analysis
    • Personal financeKiwiSaverInterest ratesTaxInvestment
    • EconomyInflationGDPOfficial cash rateEmployment
    • Small business
    • Business reportsMood of the BoardroomProject AucklandSustainable business and financeCapital markets reportAgribusiness reportInfrastructure reportDynamic business
    • Deloitte Top 200 Awards
    • CompaniesAged CareAgribusinessAirlinesBanking and financeConstructionEnergyFreight and logisticsHealthcareManufacturingMedia and MarketingRetailTelecommunicationsTourism
  • Opinion
    • All Opinion
    • Analysis
    • Editorials
    • Business analysis
    • Premium opinion
    • Letters to the editor
  • Politics
  • Sport
    • All Sport
    • OlympicsParalympics
    • RugbySuper RugbyNPCAll BlacksBlack FernsRugby sevensSchool rugby
    • CricketBlack CapsWhite Ferns
    • Racing
    • NetballSilver Ferns
    • LeagueWarriorsNRL
    • FootballWellington PhoenixAuckland FCAll WhitesFootball FernsEnglish Premier League
    • GolfNZ Open
    • MotorsportFormula 1
    • Boxing
    • UFC
    • BasketballNBABreakersTall BlacksTall Ferns
    • Tennis
    • Cycling
    • Athletics
    • SailingAmerica's CupSailGP
    • Rowing
  • Lifestyle
    • All Lifestyle
    • Viva - Food, fashion & beauty
    • Society Insider
    • Royals
    • Sex & relationships
    • Food & drinkRecipesRecipe collectionsRestaurant reviewsRestaurant bookings
    • Health & wellbeing
    • Fashion & beauty
    • Pets & animals
    • The Selection - Shop the trendsShop fashionShop beautyShop entertainmentShop giftsShop home & living
    • Milford's Investing Place
  • Entertainment
    • All Entertainment
    • TV
    • MoviesMovie reviews
    • MusicMusic reviews
    • BooksBook reviews
    • Culture
    • ReviewsBook reviewsMovie reviewsMusic reviewsRestaurant reviews
  • Travel
    • All Travel
    • News
    • New ZealandNorthlandAucklandWellingtonCanterburyOtago / QueenstownNelson-TasmanBest NZ beaches
    • International travelAustraliaPacific IslandsEuropeUKUSAAfricaAsia
    • Rail holidays
    • Cruise holidays
    • Ski holidays
    • Luxury travel
    • Adventure travel
  • Kāhu Māori news
  • Environment
    • All Environment
    • Our Green Future
  • Talanoa Pacific news
  • Property
    • All Property
    • Property Insider
    • Interest rates tracker
    • Residential property listings
    • Commercial property listings
  • Health
  • Technology
    • All Technology
    • AI
    • Social media
  • Rural
    • All Rural
    • Dairy farming
    • Sheep & beef farming
    • Horticulture
    • Animal health
    • Rural business
    • Rural life
    • Rural technology
    • Opinion
    • Audio & podcasts
  • Weather forecasts
    • All Weather forecasts
    • Kaitaia
    • Whangārei
    • Dargaville
    • Auckland
    • Thames
    • Tauranga
    • Hamilton
    • Whakatāne
    • Rotorua
    • Tokoroa
    • Te Kuiti
    • Taumaranui
    • Taupō
    • Gisborne
    • New Plymouth
    • Napier
    • Hastings
    • Dannevirke
    • Whanganui
    • Palmerston North
    • Levin
    • Paraparaumu
    • Masterton
    • Wellington
    • Motueka
    • Nelson
    • Blenheim
    • Westport
    • Reefton
    • Kaikōura
    • Greymouth
    • Hokitika
    • Christchurch
    • Ashburton
    • Timaru
    • Wānaka
    • Oamaru
    • Queenstown
    • Dunedin
    • Gore
    • Invercargill
  • Meet the journalists
  • Promotions & competitions
  • OneRoof property listings
  • Driven car news

Puzzles & Quizzes

  • Puzzles
    • All Puzzles
    • Sudoku
    • Code Cracker
    • Crosswords
    • Cryptic crossword
    • Wordsearch
  • Quizzes
    • All Quizzes
    • Morning quiz
    • Afternoon quiz
    • Sports quiz

Regions

  • Northland
    • All Northland
    • Far North
    • Kaitaia
    • Kerikeri
    • Kaikohe
    • Bay of Islands
    • Whangarei
    • Dargaville
    • Kaipara
    • Mangawhai
  • Auckland
  • Waikato
    • All Waikato
    • Hamilton
    • Coromandel & Hauraki
    • Matamata & Piako
    • Cambridge
    • Te Awamutu
    • Tokoroa & South Waikato
    • Taupō & Tūrangi
  • Bay of Plenty
    • All Bay of Plenty
    • Katikati
    • Tauranga
    • Mount Maunganui
    • Pāpāmoa
    • Te Puke
    • Whakatāne
  • Rotorua
  • Hawke's Bay
    • All Hawke's Bay
    • Napier
    • Hastings
    • Havelock North
    • Central Hawke's Bay
    • Wairoa
  • Taranaki
    • All Taranaki
    • Stratford
    • New Plymouth
    • Hāwera
  • Manawatū - Whanganui
    • All Manawatū - Whanganui
    • Whanganui
    • Palmerston North
    • Manawatū
    • Tararua
    • Horowhenua
  • Wellington
    • All Wellington
    • Kapiti
    • Wairarapa
    • Upper Hutt
    • Lower Hutt
  • Nelson & Tasman
    • All Nelson & Tasman
    • Motueka
    • Nelson
    • Tasman
  • Marlborough
  • West Coast
  • Canterbury
    • All Canterbury
    • Kaikōura
    • Christchurch
    • Ashburton
    • Timaru
  • Otago
    • All Otago
    • Oamaru
    • Dunedin
    • Balclutha
    • Alexandra
    • Queenstown
    • Wanaka
  • Southland
    • All Southland
    • Invercargill
    • Gore
    • Stewart Island
  • Gisborne

Media

  • Video
    • All Video
    • NZ news video
    • Herald NOW
    • Business news video
    • Politics news video
    • Sport video
    • World news video
    • Lifestyle video
    • Entertainment video
    • Travel video
    • Markets with Madison
    • Kea Kids news
  • Podcasts
    • All Podcasts
    • The Front Page
    • On the Tiles
    • Ask me Anything
    • The Little Things
  • Cartoons
  • Photo galleries
  • Today's Paper - E-editions
  • Photo sales
  • Classifieds

NZME Network

  • Advertise with NZME
  • OneRoof
  • Driven Car Guide
  • BusinessDesk
  • Newstalk ZB
  • Sunlive
  • ZM
  • The Hits
  • Coast
  • Radio Hauraki
  • The Alternative Commentary Collective
  • Gold
  • Flava
  • iHeart Radio
  • Hokonui
  • Radio Wanaka
  • iHeartCountry New Zealand
  • Restaurant Hub
  • NZME Events

SubscribeSign In
Advertisement
Advertise with NZME.
Home / World

How Cold War II could play out now that Russia has cryptically declared it's ready

By Candace Sutton
news.com.au·
15 Mar, 2018 08:54 PM7 mins to read

Subscribe to listen

Access to Herald Premium articles require a Premium subscription. Subscribe now to listen.
Already a subscriber?  Sign in here

Listening to articles is free for open-access content—explore other articles or learn more about text-to-speech.
‌
Save

    Share this article

The Russian embassy building in London. Britain is expelling 23 diplomats over the attack on a former spy. Photo / Getty
The Russian embassy building in London. Britain is expelling 23 diplomats over the attack on a former spy. Photo / Getty

The Russian embassy building in London. Britain is expelling 23 diplomats over the attack on a former spy. Photo / Getty

Russia has declared via Twitter that Cold War II has begun.

The advent of this second Cold War was signalled by UK Prime Minister Theresa May's announcement this week that Britain will expel 23 Russian diplomats.

The decision follows the nerve gas poisoning of former Russian spy Sergei Skripal and his daughter Yulia on March 4 — which has set off a war of words between the two countries.

May has firmly accused Russia of carrying out the attack, with the nerve gas identified as Novichok, a military-grade agent developed in the Soviet Union near the end of the Cold War.

Britain's Prime Minister Theresa May. Photo / AP
Britain's Prime Minister Theresa May. Photo / AP
Advertisement
Advertise with NZME.
Advertisement
Advertise with NZME.

Her plan to eject the diplomats is the biggest such expulsion since the Cold War, and includes a breaking off of high-level contacts with the Kremlin.

And in a stunning tweet in the early hours of Thursday, after a series of Twitter salvos fired over the bows, the Russian Embassy in the UK appears to have confirmed the Cold War is back on.

Below a photo of a thermometer at below zero sitting in ice, the embassy tweeted "The temperature of [Russian flag, British flag emojis] relations drops to -23, but we are not afraid of cold weather."

The temperature of 🇷🇺 🇬🇧 relations drops to ➖2️⃣3️⃣, but we are not afraid of cold weather. pic.twitter.com/mand9YyoaE

— Russian Embassy, UK (@RussianEmbassy) March 14, 2018

So what does a second Cold War mean and how will it differ from the first?

Advertisement
Advertise with NZME.

Espionage, secret dealings, dead drops, double agents and a cloak-and-dagger fight far more dangerous than actual warfare made up the clandestine world of the first Cold War.

A major element was the ever-present threat of nuclear war, and the end of the world seemed as close as the pressing of a button.

Cold War II in the age of Twitter and social media may not be as silent, but could prove just as deadly.

The first Cold War was the state of tense polarisation between the East and the West — between the Soviet Union and other communist countries, and Western democracy including Britain, the US and the members of NATO.

Discover more

World

Spy poisoning: UK hits back - expels 23 Russian diplomats; Royals boycott Cup

14 Mar 04:26 PM
New Zealand

Investigation into alleged poisoning of Russian spy in NZ

14 Mar 08:54 PM
New Zealand|politics

Russia ambassador to NZ: We have 'nothing to do with it'

14 Mar 09:09 PM
World

Spy case: Return of a Cold War tactic

14 Mar 08:56 PM
British ambassador to Russia, Laurie Bristow, leaves after a meeting at the Russian foreign ministry in Moscow. Photo / AP
British ambassador to Russia, Laurie Bristow, leaves after a meeting at the Russian foreign ministry in Moscow. Photo / AP

It lasted from the late 1940s to 1991, when the Soviet Union was dissolved following political reforms such as perestroika and glasnost to dismantle the vast USSR empire.

The Cold War had as its battleground the underworld of espionage and as its warfare the assassination of spies.

Its most public stand-off was the United States' boycott of the 1980 Moscow Olympics, a protest of Soviet military operations in Afghanistan.

It came closest to full-blown nuclear war during the Cuban missile crisis in 1962, when US President John F. Kennedy threatened military force after the USSR began secretly installing nuclear-armed Soviet missiles in Cuba, close to US shores.

COLD WAR 2.0

The apparent attempted murder of former Cold War double agent Sergei Skripal, 66, and his daughter Yulia, 33, appears to be the opening salvo in Cold War II, although not the first shot fired.

The salient fact for Britain's government is that public safety was put at risk by the attack at a suburban shopping mall in southern England. In fact, one of the first responders, Detective Sergeant Nick Bailey, was also poisoned by the nerve agent.

Advertisement
Advertise with NZME.

As the three remain in hospital, with their prognosis unclear, Britain has said it has proof that the world's deadliest nerve agent, the Russian-invented Novichok, was sprayed, sprinkled on or otherwise administered to the Skripals.

Eight days after the attack, police found the body of Nikolai Glushkov, 68, at his home in London on Monday. The cause of death is unclear.

Military and emergency services personnel outside Bourne Hill police station in Salisbury, England, as police and members of the armed forces probe the suspected nerve agent attack. Photo / AP
Military and emergency services personnel outside Bourne Hill police station in Salisbury, England, as police and members of the armed forces probe the suspected nerve agent attack. Photo / AP

Glushkov, a former executive of Russian airline Aeroflot was granted political asylum in 2010. He had links to other Russian exiles who have died in mysterious circumstances in the UK.

Counter-terrorism officers said publicly they saw no connection between the cases, but it hasn't done anything to quieten the verbal battle between the nations.

On Tuesday, Russia vowed to retaliate if Britain imposed sanctions in response to a chemical attack on British soil. The Russian Embassy sent out a series of scathing tweets threatening the "crooked" UK with retaliation.

The use of Donald Trump's favourite word about Hillary Clinton may give pause to reflect if the US President will be on Britain's side in Cold War II.

Advertisement
Advertise with NZME.

However, Mr Trump publicly assured Britain its support in the wake of the poisoning.

May told Trump in a phone call on Tuesday that it was "highly likely that Russia was responsible for the attack".

Despite a previously rocky relationship between the UK and US leaders, the White House responded, saying: "President Trump stated the United States stands in solidarity with its closest ally and is ready to provide any assistance the United Kingdom requests for its investigation.

"President Trump agreed with Prime Minister May that the government of the Russian Federation must provide unambiguous answers regarding how this chemical weapon, developed in Russia, came to be used in the United Kingdom."

But in the tweets, both before and after May's announced expulsion of its diplomats, the Russian embassy said Russia would not co-operate with Skripal inquiry until it has been given a sample of the nerve agent.

3/7 Moscow will not respond to London’s ultimatum until it receives samples of the chemical substance to which the UK investigators are referring. pic.twitter.com/B5CNtimcc3

— Russian Embassy, UK (@RussianEmbassy) March 13, 2018

"Britain must comply with the Chemical Weapons Convention which stipulates joint investigation into the incident, for which Moscow is ready," read one tweet.

Advertisement
Advertise with NZME.

On Wednesday, the embassy tweeted, "statement by PM @theresa_may Theresa May in Parliament on measures to 'punish' Russia constitutes an unprecedented, flagrant provocation that undermines the foundations of normal dialogue between our countries".

It also tweeted that Skripal was "was actually a British spy, working for MI6".

He was actually a British spy, working for MI6 pic.twitter.com/PPAcE8a9vz

— Russian Embassy, UK (@RussianEmbassy) March 8, 2018

HISTORY OF ATTACKS

The murder attempt on Sergei Skripal and his daughter follows a series of deaths of Russians, all critics of Russian president Vladimir Putin.

The most infamous in Britain before the Skripal attack was the 2006 poisoning of ex-KGB agent Alexander Litvinenko. He died three weeks after drinking a cup of tea laced with deadly polonium-210 at a London hotel.

A British inquiry found that Mr Litvinenko was poisoned by Russian agents Andrei Lugovoi and Dmitry Kovtun, on orders that had "probably been approved by President Putin".

Former Ukrainian president Viktor Yushchenko survived an attempt on his life in 2004 by an unknown assassin who laced his soup with TCDD dioxin.

Advertisement
Advertise with NZME.

In 2013, Boris Berezovsky died in England where he had fled to from Russia after a falling out with Mr Putin.

In exile, the Russian billionaire threatened to bring down the Russian president by force. He was found dead inside a locked bathroom at his Berkshire home, with a ligature around his neck, in an apparent suicide. However, a coronial inquest into his death recorded an open verdict after his cause of death could not be established.

Nikolai Glushkov, who was found dead in London on Monday, was an associate of Berezovsky who never believed the billionaire had taken his own life.

WAR VIA SOCIAL MEDIA

Whatever turns this new Cold War may make, it is bound to be reflected in popular culture.

The first Cold War spawned music, movies, books, television and other media, as well as sports, social beliefs and behaviour.

Spy stories became part of pop culture both in the Soviet Union and in the West, with Russian audiences fed dramas on how KGB agents beat their American, British and Israeli counterparts from the CIA, MI6 and Mossad.

Advertisement
Advertise with NZME.

The West had books such as Tom Clancy's The Hunt For Red October, The Manchurian Candidate by Richard Condon and the George Smiley novels by John Le Carre, notably Tinker, Tailor, Soldier, Spy, The Spy Who Came In From The Cold and The Honourable Schoolboy.

The Cold War also inspired spy spoofs like the classic 1960s TV series Get Smart.

Save

    Share this article

Latest from World

Premium
World

Fight to save a farm from fire - with help from friends

23 Jun 12:51 AM
World

Maga is divided over Trump’s decision to bomb Iran. Will it last?

22 Jun 11:56 PM
Premium
World

Remarks by Kiwi CEO of Air India after plane crash draw scrutiny for plagiarism

22 Jun 11:42 PM

How a Timaru mum of three budding chefs stretched her grocery shop

sponsored
Advertisement
Advertise with NZME.
Recommended for you
Iran-Israel conflict: Why NZ is being urged to push for UN Security Council reform
New Zealand

Iran-Israel conflict: Why NZ is being urged to push for UN Security Council reform

23 Jun 01:40 AM
Anzor’s East Tāmaki hub speeds supply
Sponsored Stories

Anzor’s East Tāmaki hub speeds supply

23 Jun 01:36 AM
Emotional Caleb Clarke avoids conviction for fleeing police, named in ABs squad same day
New Zealand

Emotional Caleb Clarke avoids conviction for fleeing police, named in ABs squad same day

23 Jun 01:57 AM
Naitoa Ah Kuoi stays with Chiefs for another year
Sport

Naitoa Ah Kuoi stays with Chiefs for another year

23 Jun 12:59 AM
'I blacked out for a little bit': Meet the five new All Blacks
All Blacks

'I blacked out for a little bit': Meet the five new All Blacks

23 Jun 12:58 AM

Latest from World

Premium
Fight to save a farm from fire - with help from friends

Fight to save a farm from fire - with help from friends

23 Jun 12:51 AM

New York Times: 'I wouldn’t leave till the very bitter end,' said farmer Jake van Angeren.

Maga is divided over Trump’s decision to bomb Iran. Will it last?

Maga is divided over Trump’s decision to bomb Iran. Will it last?

22 Jun 11:56 PM
Premium
Remarks by Kiwi CEO of Air India after plane crash draw scrutiny for plagiarism

Remarks by Kiwi CEO of Air India after plane crash draw scrutiny for plagiarism

22 Jun 11:42 PM
Trump poses ‘why wouldn’t there be a regime change?’ after US strikes on Iran, oil price jump
live

Trump poses ‘why wouldn’t there be a regime change?’ after US strikes on Iran, oil price jump

22 Jun 11:14 PM
Anzor’s East Tāmaki hub speeds supply
sponsored

Anzor’s East Tāmaki hub speeds supply

NZ Herald
  • About NZ Herald
  • Meet the journalists
  • Newsletters
  • Classifieds
  • Help & support
  • Contact us
  • House rules
  • Privacy Policy
  • Terms of use
  • Competition terms & conditions
  • Our use of AI
Subscriber Services
  • NZ Herald e-editions
  • Daily puzzles & quizzes
  • Manage your digital subscription
  • Manage your print subscription
  • Subscribe to the NZ Herald newspaper
  • Subscribe to Herald Premium
  • Gift a subscription
  • Subscriber FAQs
  • Subscription terms & conditions
  • Promotions and subscriber benefits
NZME Network
  • The New Zealand Herald
  • The Northland Age
  • The Northern Advocate
  • Waikato Herald
  • Bay of Plenty Times
  • Rotorua Daily Post
  • Hawke's Bay Today
  • Whanganui Chronicle
  • Viva
  • NZ Listener
  • Newstalk ZB
  • BusinessDesk
  • OneRoof
  • Driven Car Guide
  • iHeart Radio
  • Restaurant Hub
NZME
  • About NZME
  • NZME careers
  • Advertise with NZME
  • Digital self-service advertising
  • Book your classified ad
  • Photo sales
  • NZME Events
  • © Copyright 2025 NZME Publishing Limited
TOP
search by queryly Advanced Search