A suspected Russian spy ship is being monitored in Hawaii, the U.S. Coast Guardsaid 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.”

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This image made from a video provided by the U.S. Coast Guard District 14 Hawaii Pacific and dated January 2023 shows a Russian surveillance ship patrolling off the coast of Hawaii. While the appearance of a Russian surveillance ship along the U.S. coastline is not unusual, this one has attracted more attention because of heightened tensions between the U.S. and Russia over Moscow’s invasion of Ukraine and veiled threats to employ nuclear weapons US Russia Spy Ship, At Sea - 19 Jan 2023

The vessel’s spotting comes amid Russia’s continuedinvasion 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.”

This image made from a video provided by the U.S. Coast Guard District 14 Hawaii Pacific and dated January 2023 shows a Russian surveillance ship patrolling off the coast of Hawaii. While the appearance of a Russian surveillance ship along the U.S. coastline is not unusual, this one has attracted more attention because of heightened tensions between the U.S. and Russia over Moscow’s invasion of Ukraine and veiled threats to employ nuclear weapons US Russia Spy Ship, At Sea - 19 Jan 2023

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 agency capabilities.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.”

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Putin has claimed he was only conducting a “special military operation” for so-called “peacekeeping” in the neighboring country and that his aim was to “de-Nazify” Ukraine — part of a broad messaging campaign that has been effective among some in Russia.

source: people.com