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  • 2017-02-14 (xsd:date)
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  • Has a Russian Spy Ship Been Spotted Near the East Coast of the United States? (en)
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  • On 14 February 2017, many were rattled by a spate of media reports that seemed to demonstrate aggressive activity by the Russians, including news of a Russian spy ship spotted off the coast of Delaware. The ship's sighting coincided with reports that Russia had deployed cruise missiles in violation of a 1987 treaty with the U.S. brokered by President Ronald Reagan and Mikhail Gorbachev and reports that National Security Adviser Michael Flynn resigned under a cloud of accusations that he had spoken with Russian envoys about sanctions before assuming his official role in the Trump administration. While there has been no confirmation the Valentine's Day events are connected, the Department of Defense confirmed to us that they are aware of the vessel but did not provide any details, such as how far off the coast it is, what its current position is or what type of ship it is. In a brief statement, Defense Department spokeswoman Lt. Col. Valerie Henderson told us: Both Fox News and CBS News cited unnamed U.S. officials on 14 February 2017 and reported that the Russian AGI (Auxiliary, General Intelligence) was traveling north, and then would probably turn and head south again: Fox News reported further details about the vessel, also citing an unnamed source: If it is indeed the Viktor Leonov, the ship made news in 2014 when it docked unexpectedly in Cuba just before Russia annexed Crimea (a peninsula that had been under Ukrainian control). The ship's sighting comes alongside reports that Russia is violating the 1987 Intermediate-Range Nuclear Forces Treaty (INF) with the United States by deploying cruise missiles: A quick search of news stories makes it clear that sightings of similar Russian vessels happen with some regularity. In July 2016, the U.S. Navy reported seeing a spy ship in international waters off the Hawaiian coast. In January 2015, the Viktor Leonov was seen docked in Havana on the eve of a historic visit by senior U.S. delegates to Cuba. Naveed Jamali, a former intelligence operative who worked undercover for the FBI against Russian intelligence, told us the sighting isn't surprising because it's nothing new, and in the minds of the Russians, the U.S. is an adversary: (en)
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