Is it a fishing boat? A vessel carrying suspected drug dealers or smuggling in illegal immigrants? A pleasure craft belonging to a billionaire friend of the White House?

No, it’s none of those; it’s potentially much more threatening. It’s the KARELIYA: a Russian spy ship, spotted and identified by U.S. Coast Guard personnel about 15 miles south of the Hawaiian island of Oahu — outside U.S. territorial waters, but just barely — in late October.

It’s not the KARELIYA’s first visit to Hawaii. Part of Russia’s fleet of six active intelligence-gathering Vishnya-class ships in its Pacific Fleet, it was previously seen near the island of Kauai in 2021, and again near the Hawaiian island chain in 2022. [The Moscow Times, November 14, 2025.]

And now it’s back, uninvited, and reportedly retrofitted to current standards. The U.S. Coast Guard said that its personnel had conducted “a safe and professional overflight and transiting near” the ship on October 29th, and added:

“Acting in accordance with international law, Coast Guard personnel are monitoring the Russian vessel’s activities near U.S. territorial waters to provide maritime security for U.S. vessels operating in the area and to support U.S. homeland defense efforts.” [Id.]

What . . . no Hellfire missiles? Just three miles outside our territorial waters, and we didn’t blow them out of existence? No . . . this time, someone (the U.S. Coast Guard) actually used common sense and restraint.

Thank the powers-that-be for small — actually, rather large — favors!

Thus far, no imminent threat from the KARELIYA has been detected . . . or, at least, none has been publicly reported. But viewed in conjunction with recent Russian drone incursions into the air space of a number of Europe’s NATO and EU countries, it seems to signify an increase in widespread Russian surveillance activities.

But to what purpose? Defensive, offensive, or simply a subtle warning to keep us all off balance?

It could be anything. Maybe someone should ask Vladimir Putin.

Just sayin’ . . .

Brendochka
11/16/25