US Coast Guard says it shadowed the Kareliya as Western diplomats ponder whether to link the Pacific ‘flex’ to a coordinated uptick in Russian probing activities from Hawaii to Europe.

WASHINGTON, DC – The US Coast Guard on Thursday confirmed it had tracked a Russian Navy intelligence vessel operating just outside US territorial waters near Oahu late last month.

Western diplomats suspect the incident fits a broader pattern of Moscow testing Western defenses from the Pacific to NATO’s eastern flank.

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The Kareliya, a Vishnya-class spy ship built for capturing signals and communications intelligence, was observed roughly 15 nautical miles south of Oahu on October 29.

This kept it technically in international waters, but close enough to Hawaii’s critical military infrastructure to register as a deliberate flex.

Coast Guard aircraft and the cutter William Hart shadowed the vessel in what officials described as a “safe and professional” monitoring operation – language meant to project calm even as pressure points with Moscow multiply.

Publicly, the Coast Guard stressed the episode was standard fare.

Capt. Matthew Chong, the service’s top response official in the Oceania District, noted that the Coast Guard regularly monitors foreign military vessels operating near US waters and coordinates closely with partners to safeguard US maritime borders. The message: this wasn’t a breach, but it was closely watched.

Privately, US and Western officials say the timing and location were anything but routine.