US Coast Guard patrol spots Russian military ship off Alaska islands

JUNEAU, Alaska (AP) — Officials say a U.S. Coast Guard cutter on routine patrol south of Alaska’s Aleutian Islands came across a Russian ship in international waters but within the U.S. exclusive economic zone. The crew detected the vessel about 30 miles (48 kilometers) southeast of the Amukta Pass, the Coast Guard said in a statement Friday. A helicopter aircrew from Coast Guard Air Station Kodiak also spotted the vessel. The sighting comes after the Coast Guard in July spotted several Chinese military ships north of the Amchitka Pass in the Aleutian Islands in international waters and after Russian and Chinese bombers flew together for the first time in international airspace off the coast of Alaska.