PHOTO: UNCREDITED/AP/SHUTTERSTOCK
A suspected Russian spy ship is being monitored in Hawaii, the U.S. Coast Guard said in a release this week.The Russian vessel, "believed to be an intelligence
gathering ship," was spotted off the coast of the Hawaiian Islands, in what is known as the U.S. economic exclusive zone, the agency said.
According to the Coast Guard, "foreign military vessels may transit freely through the U.S. economic exclusive zone (EEZ)," and "as per customary international laws, foreign-flagged military vessels have often been observed operating and loitering within Coast Guard District Fourteen's area of response."
The vessel's spotting comes amid Russia's continued invasion of Ukraine, which began last February.
Speaking to reporters on Thursday, Deputy Pentagon Press Secretary Sabrina Singh noted the "precarious timing" of the spotting of the ship.
"I can't speak to why the Russians are are sailing this ship right now," Singh said. "It's kind of precarious timing. But I would say that the Coast Guard is monitoring this Russian vessel that we believe is an intelligence-gathering vessel but is operating in international and open waters."
Singh continued: "We haven't seen any unsafe or unprofessional behavior, and we expect that the Russians will operate within the region in accordance with international law."
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The Coast Guard says it is coordinating with the Department of Defense to provide updates on the movements of the vessel.
"The U.S. Coast Guard is currently monitoring the Russian vessel operating in the vicinity of Hawaii," Cmdr. Dave Milne, chief of External Affairs, said in the Coast Guard's release. "As part of our daily operations, we track all vessels in the Pacific area through surface and air assets and joint
القدرات: يعمل خفر السواحل وفقًا لقوانين البحار الدولية لضمان أن تفعل جميع الدول الشيء نفسه دون خوف أو نزاع. هذا مهم بشكل خاص لتأمين حرية الحركة والملاحة في جميع أنحاء المحيط الهادئ الأزرق. "لا تفوت أي قصة - اشترك في النشرة الإخبارية اليومية المجانية لـ PEOPLE للبقاء على اطلاع دائم على أفضل ما يقدمه الناس. غزو روسيا لأوكرانيا بأمر من الرئيس فلاديمير بوتين ، أثار الإدانة في جميع أنحاء العالم وعقوبات اقتصادية متزايدة الصرامة ضد روسيا ، حيث زعم بوتين أنه كان يقوم فقط بـ "عملية عسكرية خاصة" لما يسمى بـ "حفظ السلام" في الدولة المجاورة وأن هدفه كان إلى "إزالة النازية" من أوكرانيا - جزء من حملة رسائل واسعة كانت فعالة بين البعض في روسيا.