The Russians have been taunting the United States for months.
The aggression has its roots in Russia's war inside Ukraine, with the nation pushing the envelope with a strike against a U.S.-owned factory during the conflict.
A ship was recently spotted off the coast of Hawaii, in what appears to be a Russian attempt to see just how far its leaders can push Donald Trump before he responds.
Russia managed to avoid any direct tensions with the United States in its war against Ukraine, that is, until August.
During an attack in Ukraine, an American-owned factory was hit by two missiles.
This strike was, at the time, Russia’s largest, involving more than 570 drones and 40 missiles.
Andy Hunder, the president of the American Chamber of Commerce in Ukraine, responded to the attack, "Russia continues to destroy and humiliate U.S. businesses in Ukraine, targeting companies that invest and trade on the U.S. stock markets.”
In September, Russia stretched the limits yet again, flying far too close to Alaska, resulting in U.S. fighter jets being scrambled.
North American Aerospace Defense Command (NORAD) responded, “NORAD remains ready to employ a number of response options in defense of North America.”
NATO countries have also been on edge, with European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen responding, “My opinion is we have to defend every square centimeter [of] territory, and that means if there’s an intrusion in the airspace, after warning, after being very clear, of course, the option of shooting down a fighter jet that is intruding our airspace is on the table.”
Again, I think this is Russia conducting a reconnaissance probe of sorts, just to see how far it can flex its muscle.
The U.S. Coast Guard has now announced that on Oct. 29, it spotted a Russian spy boat operating near U.S. waters close to Hawaii.
The Vishnya-class intelligence ship was seen about 15 nautical miles off of Oahu.
Capt. Matthew Chong responded, "The U.S. Coast Guard routinely monitors maritime activity around the Hawaiian Islands and throughout the Pacific to ensure the safety and security of U.S. waters.” He continued, "Working in concert with partners and allies, our crews monitor and respond to foreign military vessel activity near our territorial waters to protect our maritime borders and defend our sovereign interests.”
They just keep pushing, and I am not sure how much more Trump will take on this front. He clearly is not going to start a war over a probe operation, but he cannot keep letting Russia operate like this without some type of response. It is just a question of what that response will be.
