Russia subs and ships shadowed by U.S. Coast Guard off Alaska

The U.S. Coast Guard said Monday that it tracked a group of Russian naval vessels, including 2 submarines, arsenic they crossed into U.S. waters disconnected Alaska successful an evident effort to debar oversea ice, a move that is permitted nether world rules and customs.

Crew of nan U.S. Coast Guard cutter Stratton witnessed nan Russian subject vessels transverse nan maritime bound and task 30 miles wrong an area extending beyond U.S. territorial waters known arsenic nan U.S. Exclusive Economic Zone, nan Coast Guard said successful a news release.

The Russian vessels consisted of 2 submarines, a frigate and tug boat, nan Coast Guard said. The brushwood took spot astir 60 miles northwest of Point Hope.

The unit of U.S. Coast Guard Cutter Stratton (WMSL 752) encountered and shadowed 4 Russian Federation Navy (RFN) vessels 57 miles northwest of Point Hope, Alaska, Sept. 15, 2024. The Russian Surface Action Group consisted of a Severodvinsk-class submarine, a Dolgorukiy-class submarine, a Steregushchiy– people Frigate, and a Seliva-class tug.  U.S. Coast Guard courtesy photo

"We are actively operating our maritime separator successful nan Bering Sea, Bering Strait, and Chukchi Sea, pinch our largest and astir tin cutters and aircraft, to protect U.S. sovereign interests, U.S. food stocks, and to beforehand world maritime norms," said Rear Adm. Megan Dean. "Coast Guard Cutter Stratton ensured location were nary disruptions to U.S. interests." 

The Coast Guard said nan Stratton, a 418-foot fable people nationalist information cutter, is "patrolling nether Operation Frontier Sentinel, an cognition designed to meet beingness pinch beingness erstwhile strategical competitors run successful and astir U.S. waters."

The incident comes little than 2 months aft nan U.S. subject intercepted respective Russian and Chinese bombers successful world airspace adjacent nan seashore of Alaska.

Military activity by nan U.S., Canada, Russia and China has ramped up successful nan Arctic. In July, Moscow said it scrambled combatant jets to intercept 2 U.S. subject long-range bomber craft that approached nan Russian separator complete nan Barents Sea successful nan Arctic. 

In:
• United States Coast Guard
• Russia
• Alaska