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For: The opinion Posted Jan 19, 2023, 18:35 pm EST
A situation that seems to come out of the cold war years recently registered with Hawaiiwhere the United States Coast Guard detected a Russian vesselor that could be dedicated to intelligence gathering.
The United States Coast Guard reported that in recent weeks has been tracking a Russian ship in the vicinity of the tourist destination of Hawaii.
“In recent weeks, the United States Coast Guard has continued to monitor a Russian shipwhich is believed to be a ship of intelligence gatheringoff the coast of the Hawaiian Islands,” the US Coast Guard District 14 Hawaii and Pacific said in a statement.
The authority points out that although foreign military vessels are free to transit by the exclusive economic zone (EEZ) of the United States, often military ships have been observed foreign flag operating and loitering within the Coast Guard District Fourteen response area.
“The US Coast Guard is currently monitoring the russian ship operating in the vicinity of Hawaii,” said Commander Dave Milne, chief of Foreign Affairs for the Coast Guard. “As part of our daily operations, we track all vessels in the Pacific area through surface and air assets and joint agency capabilities,” the official added.
The statement adds that the Coast Guard continues to coordinate with its partners in the Department of Defenseproviding up-to-date information on the movements and activities of foreign vessels and responding appropriately to presence-with-presence to promote international maritime standards.
Russian spy ship
According to the specialized site Military.com, the ship, identified by observers as the Vishnya-class auxiliary general intelligence ship, or AGI, Kareliya, SSV-535, is based in Vladivostok and is no stranger to Hawaiian waters. It was tracked 15 miles west of Kauai in 2021. A Russian intelligence vessel was also seen near the island chain in 2016.
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