Russian warships approached ‘secretly’ 18 km from the US

By Boyko Nikolov

WASHINGTON, BM – Maneuvers of the Russian navy in the Pacific brought 6 warships practically to the “entrance” of the United States, 18 km from Hawaii. The information is disseminated by both Russian and American media. The ships were originally thought to be 150-200 km from the Hawaiian Islands. We remind you that the largest American military facilities are located on the Hawaiian Peninsula.

Sources claim that this fact was hidden from American citizens initially. But later it turned out that the ships were so close to shore that it was possible to see with the naked eye from the coast of Hawaii. Experts say one of the six Russian ships was reconnaissance.

Russia’s Defense Ministry has confirmed that part of the Russian navy is conducting exercises and maneuvers in the Pacific. However, they coincide with the time of tests of the US command to launch prototypes of hypersonic missiles. As we reported earlier this year a Russian reconnaissance warship in international waters, but near Hawaii, observed and tracked the missile tests of the U.S. Navy. Then, the U.S. Navy spokesman Captain John Gay gave this information to a press briefing after the failed tests. According to the American captain, the presence of a Russian reconnaissance ship is not accidental, but the Navy knows about it and monitors it using patrol planes and ships.

Despite attempts to hide the fact that Russian ships were too close, the Honolulu Star-Advertiser newspaper investigated the issue and was the first to publish the news, provoking the US command to make a statement. “At the closest point, some ships operated approximately 20 to 30 NM [nautical miles; 23 to 34 statute miles] off the coast of Hawaii,” U.S. Navy Captain Mike Kafka, a spokesperson for U.S. Indo-Pacific Command (INDOPACOM) said. “As part of our normal daily operations, we continue to track all vessels in the Indo-Pacific area of ​​operations through maritime patrol aircraft, surface ship, and joint capabilities.”

Military experts say the Russian naval exercises in the Pacific are the largest since the end of the Cold War, and a Hawaiian newspaper journalist said that “for a long time” this was the closest Russian ship to have passed off the coast of Hawaii.

However, the United States is closely monitoring the actions of the Russians in the area. There are reports that the United States has detonated at least two F-22 Raptor fighters in the air to reconnoiter and prosecute Russian operations.

However, the “sneaking” of Russian ships so close to the US border is considered dangerous and provocative on the one hand, but on the other raises the question of how it was allowed to happen.

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