A U.S. Coast Guard cutter on a routine patrol around Alaska's Aleutian Islands spotted the Russian vessel in international waters but within the U.S. exclusive economic zone, officials said.
The crew of the U.S. Coast Guard cutter Alex Haley spotted the vessel on Monday about 48 kilometers (30 miles) southeast of the Amukta Strait, the Coast Guard said in a statement Friday.
A helicopter crew from Coast Guard Air Station Kodiak also spotted the vessel.
According to the statement, the vessel “was transiting international waters but was still within the United States' exclusive economic zone,” which extends 200 nautical miles (370 km) from the U.S. coastline.
The statement said the coast guard vessel did not communicate with the Russian vessel but followed it as it moved east.
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Russian military conducts missile launch drills in Arctic Sea near Alaska
Russian military conducts missile launch drills in Arctic Sea near Alaska
“We have responded with presence for presence to ensure there is no interference with U.S. interests in the maritime environment around Alaska,” Alex Haley Commander Steven Baldowski said in a statement.
In July, the Coast Guard spotted four Chinese warships while patrolling north of Amchitka Strait in the Aleutian Islands in international waters but also in the U.S. exclusive economic zone, officials said.
Later that month, Russian and Chinese bombers flew together for the first time in international airspace off the coast of Alaska, a new demonstration of growing military cooperation that U.S. Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin said was a concern at the time.
The flights were not considered a threat, and the bombers were tracked and intercepted by US and Canadian fighters.
But it was the first time Chinese bombers had flown inside the Alaskan Air Defense Identification Zone. And it was the first time Chinese and Russian jets had taken off from the same base in northeastern Russia.