This response to Poland’s missile defense agreement with America (which I posted about earlier) is no joke:

A top Russian general said Friday that Poland’s agreement to accept a U.S. missile interceptor base exposes the ex-communist nation to attack, possibly by nuclear weapons, the Interfax news agency reported.

The statement by Gen. Anatoly Nogovitsyn is the strongest threat that Russia has issued against the plans to put missile defense elements in former Soviet satellite nations.

If there were any doubts about whether or not the invasion of Georgia marked a renewal of the expansionist Russian empire you can lay them aside now.