A US Coast Guard cutter on patrol in the Aleutian Islands encountered a Russian ship transiting in international waters but within the US exclusive economic zone, marking the latest in a series of encounters between the two nations in the region, CBS News reports.
The Coast Guard Cutter Alex Haley detected the Russian vessel on Monday, about 30 miles southeast of Amukta Pass. While the Coast Guard vessel did not communicate with the Russian ship, it followed the vessel as it moved east.
“We met presence with presence to ensure there were no disruptions to U.S. interests in the maritime environment around Alaska,” Cmdr. Steven Baldovsky, commanding officer of the Alex Haley, was quoted as saying in a statement.
This incident follows a series of similar encounters in recent months, including the sighting of four Chinese military ships in July and the joint interception of two Russian and two Chinese bombers flying in the Alaska Air Defense Identification Zone (ADIZ) in July.
This joint flight marked the first time that Russian and Chinese aircraft had jointly entered the Alaska ADIZ, raising concerns about expanding military cooperation between the two nations.
