We retopped this post at 12:25 p.m. ET.
Responding to the news that Russian President Vladimir Putin has put his army on alert in what seems to be a bid to influence events in Ukraine, Secretary of State John Kerry said Wednesday that the U.S. is "not looking for [a] confrontation" with Moscow.
And, in a reference to the Cold War days of the past when the rivalry between two superpowers would find its way into popular culture, Kerry tried to cool things down.
"This is not Rocky IV," he said, during an MSNBC interview.
Our original post — Putin Flexes Moscow's Military Muscles, Puts Army On Alert — and an earlier update pick up the story:
With nerves in the region already on edge because of the crisis in Ukraine, Russia's leader on Wednesday added this news to the unsettling mix:
"President Vladimir Putin ordered an urgent drill to test the combat readiness of the armed forces across western Russia on Wednesday, news agencies reported, flexing Moscow's military muscle amid tension with the West over Ukraine." (Reuters)