Russian spy ship near Hawaii brings memories of Victor Leonov off Florida

The U.S. Coast Guard has been monitoring a Russian vessel off the coast of Hawaii.

Some reports are saying it's the same ship that was spotted several years ago off the coast of Florida.

The ship is believed to be an intelligence gathering ship, according to the U.S. Coast Guard District 14.

“The U.S. Coast Guard is currently monitoring the Russian vessel operating in the vicinity of Hawaii,” said Cmdr. Dave Milne, chief of External Affairs, in a news release.

Viktor Leonov: Russian spy ship operating in 'unsafe manner' off southeastern US coast, military says

“As part of our daily operations, we track all vessels in the Pacific area through surface and air assets and joint agency capabilities.

What does the Coast Guard say about the ship?

While foreign military vessels may transit freely through the U.S. economic exclusive zone, as per customary international laws, foreign-flagged military vessels have often been observed operating and loitering within Coast Guard District 14's area of response.

The Coast Guard continues to coordinate with Department of Defense partners, providing updates to foreign vessel movements and activities and to appropriately meet presence with presence to encourage international maritime norms.

Russian ships spotted off Florida in 2019

This is not the first time suspected Russia spy ships have seen off the coast of the United States. In 2019, a Russian spy ship off the southeastern coast of the United States was observed operating in what officials said was an “unsafe manner.”

The actions of the Viktor Leonov, a Russian surveillance ship sailing off the coast of North Carolina and Florida, were determined to be unsafe.

Viktor Leonov sailing without running lights, not responding to radio calls

The Coast Guard at the time issued a marine safety bulletin about the ship, which was operating in an unsafe manner, said Petty Officer 2nd Class Ryan Dickinson, a Coast Guard spokesman based in Jacksonville. The ship was moving south off the Carolinas, Georgia and Florida.

The notice was issued to warn vessels the spy ship could be sailing without running lights or failing to respond to radio calls. The ship was identified as the Viktor Leonov, a Russian navy surveillance vessel.

What officials said about Russian ships off Florida

The U.S. Northern Command and the North American Aerospace Defense Command keep close tabs on “vessels of interest, including foreign military naval vessels,” said spokeswoman Navy Capt. Pamela Kunze.

“We are aware of Russia's naval activities, including the deployment of intelligence collection ships in the region,” Kunze said.

“While we won't discuss specific measures being taken, NORAD and USNORTHCOM routinely conduct air and maritime operations to ensure the defense of the United States and Canada."

Other Russian ships spotted earlier in 2022 near Hawaii

In May, the U.S. military reported that it was tracking a "Russian surface vessel operating in international waters in the vicinity of Hawaii," according to KHON2, which cited a statement from U.S. Indo-Pacific Command.

Facebook video showing nuclear submarine off Hawaii found to be false

The caption of a Dec. 26 Facebook video claims it shows a Russian submarine surfacing off the coast of Hawaii.

Fact check: False claim video shows Russian submarine off the coast of Hawaii

The video was viewed more than 1.7 million times and shared more than 600 times in two weeks.

USA Today found the video actually is a five-minute clip from an episode of "Hawaii Five-0" which aired May 18, 2018.

Tom Vanden Brook and Chris Mueller of USA Today contributed to this report.

This article originally appeared on Florida Times-Union: Victor Leonov: Russian spy ship off Hawaii. Florida has seen its share