Russia: A Problem, Not a Threat | Opinion Joshua Shifrinson , Assistant professor of International Relations, Boston University On 4/21/21 at 11:00 AM EDT Is Russia a threat to the United States? Many policymakers and pundits certainly seem to believe so. Last month, President Joe Biden labeled Russian President Vladimir Putin a "killer." Pundits and analysts make similar claims, warning of Moscow's eagerness to "act as an anti-U.S. spoiler at every opportunity," declaring Russia's "threat to the United States and its interests in Europe," and cautioning that Russia is "globally resurgent in ways that we can't afford to dismiss." That Russian agents were responsible for the recent SolarWinds hack and influence operations around the last two presidential elections only underscores the problem. Russia, it seems, is wedded to challenging the U.S. both at home and abroad.