Reports of a near disaster due to lack of communication between Moscow and Washington over routine military drills have been greatly exaggerated.
A missile alarm went off at a US base in Germany on Saturday, during a drill run by Russian strategic nuclear forces. This was breathlessly reported by CNN, quoting unnamed sources, as a frighteningly close shave with Armageddon.
According to CNNβsΒ sources, the warning, triggered at Ramstein Air Base (the largest US Air Force base in Europe), and βresulted in several minutes of uncertainty and alarm until an all-clear was sounded.β
