The U.S. Coast Guard on Wednesday said it has been tracking a Russian ship, suspected of spying, off the Hawaiian coast for weeks.
What Happened: The U.S. Coast Guard, in a release, said the vessel is believed to be a Russian "intelligence gathering ship" amid tense relations between Moscow and Washington due to Vladimir Putin's raging war in Ukraine.
"As part of our daily operations, we track all vessels in the Pacific area through surface and air assets and joint agency capabilities," Cmdr. Dave Milne, the Coast Guard's chief of external affairs, said.
The guards said the foreign military ships may travel freely through U.S. waters, but "foreign-flagged military vessels have often been observed operating and loitering" in the U.S. Coast Guard's "area of response."
"The Coast Guard operates in accordance with international laws of the sea to ensure all nations can do the same without fear or contest. This is especially critical to secure freedom of movement and navigation throughout the Blue Pacific," Milne added.
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Milne added that it was coordinating with the U.S. Defense Department to provide updates on the movement of the foreign ships.
This is not the first time a Russian ship has been suspected of spying. In May 2022, the U.S. Indo-Pacific Command also said it was monitoring a Russian vessel near Hawaii.
A retired marine lieutenant colonel had then told KHON that the Soviet Union used to send intelligence ships to loiter near Hawaii during the Cold War. "The tactics, techniques, and procedures that we saw the Soviets doing back in the Cold War seem to be resurfacing again under the Russian banner," Lt. Colonel Hal Kempfer said.
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