Coast Guard tracking Russian spy ship off the coast of Connecticut

GROTON, Conn. — The military tracked a Russian spy ship moving up the East Coast to within 30 miles of the Naval Submarine Base in Groton on Wednesday and some political figures called the maneuver another aggressive action by Russian President Vladimir Putin.

“At this point there’s not a violation of international waters. Unless that happens you aren’t going to see any aggressive pushback, but it’s something that has us on high alert,” Rep. Joe Courtney, D-Conn., told The Hartford Courant.

Two retired Navy submarine commanders downplayed the Russian presence, saying the ship presents little threat to U.S. security. Such Russian intelligence ships routinely patrol areas outside U.S. naval bases and track U.S. and allied forces’ naval exercises.

The Coast Guard said it is tracking the ship’s course, but would not disclose the location.

“The U.S. Coast Guard is aware of a Russian Federation-flagged vessel transiting international waters off the East Coast of the United States, as we are of all vessels approaching the U.S. The ship has not entered U.S. territorial waters, which extend 12 miles out to sea,” the Coast Guard said in a statement. “We respect freedom of navigation exercised by all nations beyond the territorial sea of a coastal state consistent with international law. The Coast Guard continues to coordinate with federal agency partners to monitor maritime contacts operating in the vicinity of U.S. shores.”

Lawmakers, noting recent incidents including Russian planes buzzing a Navy ship in the Black Sea last week, point to this ship’s actions as yet another aggressive Russian action.