Russian Spy Ship Off Georgia Coast

The Viktor Leonov CCB-175, a Russian Navy intelligence warship, is docked to a pier in Old Havana (The Viktor Leonov / Getty Images)

 

Viktor Leonev currently sailing near Navy nuclear submarine base

A Russian spy ship is currently conducting surveillance operations in waters near a U.S. ballistic missile submarine base in Georgia, according to Navy officials.

“We are tracking the Viktor Leonov’s presence off the East Coast, much like we are aware of all vessels approaching the United States,” said Navy Cmdr. Bill Speaks, a Navy spokesman.

“We respect the right and freedoms of all nations to operate in international waters in accordance with international law,” he added.

A military official said the Leonov, a ship known for conducting annual forays near sensitive U.S. military facilities off the East Coast, is currently operating off the Georgia coast near Naval Submarine Base Kings Bay, home to U.S. nuclear missile submarines.

The ship for the past several days was located some 20 nautical miles offshore and has been closely shadowed by U.S. military ships and aircraft, including P-8 surveillance aircraft.

The spy operations come days after Russian President Vladimir Putin announced Moscow’s development of new and “invincible” nuclear weapons aimed at the United States.

A video presentation during the Russian leader’s speech showed a simulated multiple-warhead nuclear strike on Florida.

Putin, in a speech in Moscow, also touted a new unmanned underwater vehicle capable of delivering a megaton-sized nuclear warhead against ports and coastal cities.

Kings Bay is the location of Submarine Group 10 that includes six nuclear-armed ballistic missile submarines and two guided missile submarines. It is also the location of Strategic Weapons Facility, Atlantic, that is in charge of maintaining nuclear warheads for submarine-launched ballistic missiles.

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The Leonov is part of a major increase in Russian naval activity around the world.

Under the Trump administration, Russia and China have been elevated to national security threats after nearly two decades of a major focus on counterterrorism operations.

Full article: Russian Spy Ship Off Georgia Coast (Washington Free Beacon)