The United States Coast Guard said on Thursday that it had monitored and responded to the presence of a Russian military vessel operating close to U.S. territorial waters near Oahu, Hawaii.
According to a Coast Guard statement, a Russian Federation Navy auxiliary general intelligence ship, the Kareliya, was detected on October 29 approximately 15 miles (24 kilometers) south of Oahu, just beyond the 12-nautical-mile limit that defines U.S. territorial seas.
A Coast Guard aircraft and cutter were dispatched to observe and track the vessel.
“Acting in accordance with international law, Coast Guard personnel are monitoring the Russian vessel’s activities near U.S. territorial waters to provide maritime security for U.S. vessels operating in the area and to support U.S. homeland defense efforts,” the statement said.
Under international law, foreign military ships are permitted to operate and transit outside another nation’s territorial waters, meaning the Russian vessel was sailing legally in the exclusive economic zone but unusually close to Hawaii’s shores.
The Russian Embassy in Washington did not immediately respond to a request for comment.
The U.S. Coast Guard frequently conducts surveillance of foreign military ships operating in the Pacific, particularly amid heightened global tensions and increased naval activity by major powers.
Source: Reuters
Written By Rodney Mbua
