The Russian spy ship Viktor Leonov on Wednesday morning was spotted 40 miles closer to the U.S. — and not far from a Navy submarine base in Connecticut, a U.S. official told Fox News. The ship was spotted 30 miles south of Groton, Conn., but it remained in international waters. The U.S. territorial boundary extends 12 miles from the coast. The Russian spy ship was currently “loitering” in the water, the U.S. official said.
The spy ship is armed with surface-to-air missiles, but its main function is to intercept communications and collect data on U.S. Navy sonar capability. This was the furthest north the Viktor Leonov had ever traveled up the eastern seaboard. The Russian spy ship was last seen off the East Coast of the U.S. about two years ago, spending time near another U.S. submarine base in Kings Bay, Ga. In January 2015, the ship was seen in Havana, Cuba. READ MORE
