Officials confirmed this week that the U.S. Coast Guard witnessed a Russian ship in international waters around the Alaskan Aleutian Islands – and that the ship came uncomfortably close to an American exclusive economic zone.
The crew aboard the U.S. Coast Guard Cutter Alex Haley, a Coast Guard ship named after the former Coast Guard journalist and author of “Roots,” spotted the Russian ship traveling just 30 miles away from the Amukta Pass. The ship’s sighting was confirmed in a statement issued on Friday, and it could indicate that Russia is trying to send a message to the United States.
The vessel was also spotted by a helicopter crew from the Coast Guard Air Station Kodiak.
Commander Steven Baldovsky of the Alex Haley issued a statement on the brief encounter, describing how U.S. personnel “met presence with presence to ensure there were no disruptions to U.S. interests in the maritime environment around Alaska.”
Here’s Why This Matters
The Aleutian Islands are U.S. territory. The series of volcanic islands extends roughly 1,200 miles from the southwestern tip of the U.S. state of Alaska and toward the Kamchatka Peninsula of Russia – so it’s by no means surprising to see a Russian ship here.
But that doesn’t mean it’s meaningless.
The islands are 100% within U.S. territorial waters and there is no shared sovereignty of the islands, or any direct access for Russian vessels. The United States maintains total control over the airspace over the islands as well as the surrounding waters. That being said, the islands are surrounded by international waters; specifically, the Bering Sea and the North Pacific. Russian vessels are perfectly within their rights to travel through those waters, as can a vessel from any other nation.
Russian activity in the region has increased in recent years, and with the ongoing Russian invasion of Ukraine, any sightings of Russian ships in the area are bound to raise concerns among the U.S. military and government.
