The U.S. Coast Guard said it is monitoring a Russian military vessel that was spotted operating about 15 nautical miles south of Oahu on October 29, officials said Thursday.
Newsweek reached out to the Russian Government Press Office and Russian Foreign Ministry via email on Thursday evening outside of normal business hours for comment.
Why It Matters
Tensions between Russia and the U.S. have increased in recent months as the two nations failed to advance any peace deal between Russia and Ukraine—a major campaign promise that U.S. President Donald Trump said would occur shortly after returning to office, but that he subsequently found difficult and more complicated than he had anticipated.
Trump then escalated matters by announcing his intent to have the U.S. restart testing nuclear weapons. The president said he had instructed the Pentagon to resume nuclear testing, while U.S. Secretary of State Marco Rubio told reporters the pledge was the same as “other countries around the world.”
European leaders have also faced seeming provocation from Russia, accusing Moscow of violating their sovereignty by launching drones and balloons into the airspace of NATO members, prompting a few of them to invoke NATO Article 4, which seeks dialogue among member states about potential provocation.
What To Know
A Coast Guard HC-130 Hercules aircraft and cutter William Hart conducted an overflight and passed near the Kareliya, a Vishnya-class Russian intelligence ship. The Coast Guard said it is tracking the vessel in accordance with international law to ensure maritime security and support U.S. homeland defense efforts.
Foreign military ships are allowed to operate outside a nation’s 12-nautical-mile territorial boundary, but Coast Guard officials said they routinely monitor such activity to protect U.S. interests in the Pacific.
In a statement issued on Thursday evening, the Coast Guard said that it is “working in concert with partners and allies, our crews monitor and respond to foreign military vessel activity near our territorial waters to protect our maritime borders and defend our sovereign interests.”
Coast Guard Oceania District and U.S. Indo-Pacific Command will continue communicating about the matter and monitor further actions by the vessel.
What People Are Saying
The U.S. Coast Guard in a statement, in part: “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.”
Update 11/13/25, 8:01 p.m. ET: This article has been updated with additional information.