Russian warships in the Black Sea / AP
Russia has stationed a spy ship off the coast of Hawaii to monitor the Rim of the Pacific military exercises, the U.S. Navy confirmed Thursday.
The Russian Navy Balzam-class auxiliary general intelligence ship arrived "recently" in international waters, U.S. Pacific Fleet spokesman Lt. Clint Ramsden said Wednesday.
"Obviously, we are aware that it is there, and we’ve taken all precautions necessary to protect our critical information," Ramsden said in a statement. "Its presence has not affected the conduct of the exercise."
The Russian ship is outside of the 12-nautical mile limit of U.S. territorial waters but is within America’s 200-nautical-mile Exclusive Economic Zone.
Ramsden said Pacific Fleet knows where exactly the ship is operating, "but it’s not something that we’re disclosing at this time."
Russia was not invited to RIMPAC this year given heightened tensions with the West over Moscow’s annexation of the Crimea peninsula from Ukraine. The nation last attended the biennial exercises in 2012, Ramsden said.
Military forces from 26 nations are participating in RIMPAC through Aug. 4. The drills include 45 ships, 200 aircraft, and more than 25,000 personnel and will primarily take place by the Hawaiian Islands. Some exercises will also be conducted off Southern California.
The last time a Russian spy ship appeared off the coast of Hawaii during RIMPAC was in 2004, according to the Pacific Fleet.
