The US Coast Guard has detected the presence of the Russian naval intelligence ship Karelia in international waters off the coast of Hawaii. The vessel, part of the Russian Navy's Baltic Fleet, was spotted on October 29 approximately 15 nautical miles south of Oahu—just 27 kilometers offshore, not far from US territorial waters. The US Coast Guard reported this on November 13, emphasizing that the ship did not violate US borders.

The Karelia is a general-purpose support vessel designed for electronic reconnaissance. American forces, including an HC-130 Hercules aircraft from Barbers Point and the cutter William Hart, conducted monitoring from a safe distance.

This is not the Karelia's first visit to the region: similar approaches were recorded in 2021–2023, when the vessel cruised 3–15 miles from the islands.