Russian Spy Ship 'Loitering' Near Conn. Navy Base

A Russian spy ship first spotted in international waters off the coast of Delaware has moved further up the eastern coast of the US and was just 30 miles south of a Navy submarine base in Connecticut on Wednesday, reports Fox News. An official says SSV-175 Viktor Leonov, which can reportedly intercept communications and measure Navy sonar capabilities, was "loitering" in the area. However, it remains more than a dozen miles from the US boundary and has not violated international law, a Defense rep says, per Snopes. CBS News reports the ship is expected to turn around once it nears the base and return to the Caribbean, where it made a stop weeks ago after leaving its fleet in the Barents Sea.

That doesn't mean its position so close to US territory isn't concerning. "It's something that has us on high alert," says Rep. Joe Courtney, a Democrat representing the area including the Groton base. He says the ship's path shows Russia is operating "with aggressive intent" and "underscores that the threats posed by a resurgent Russia are real," per the Hartford Courant. In a tweet Wednesday, Sen. Chris Murphy from Connecticut also expressed concern, noting "Russia is acting like it has a permission slip to expand influence, test limits of reach." Meanwhile, the mayor of Middletown, Conn., demanded to know if President Trump will "protect our territory or bow in supplication to [Vladimir] Putin," per Patch.com. (More Russia stories.)