A joint Russian-Chinese fleet made up of 11 warships accessed the US exclusive economic zone in Alaskawhich forced the United States Navy to deploy four destroyers and a fighter plane to intercept it.
The incident, as revealed by the senators from Alaska Lisa Murkowski and Dan Sullivanoccurred over the weekend, although the United States Northern Command tried to downplay the event.
According to a statement released by the Wall Street Journalthe Navy recalled that, although the ships of the Russian-Chinese fleet agreed to the exclusive economic zone United States, did not enter the territorial waters of the United States, but remained in international waters.
In red, the area where the incident occurred
However, Senators Murkowski and Sullivan emphasized the seriousness of the raid: “The raid of 11 Chinese and Russian warships operating jointly off the coast of Alaska reminds us once again that we have entered a new era of authoritarian aggression by the dictators of Beijing and Moscow,” they said in statements collected by The Times.
Yet the United States Navy He acted quickly to intercept the fleet and prevent the incident from escalating.
For this, the destroyers USS John S McCain, USS Benfold, USS John Finn and USS Chung-Hoon were deployed.
According to the statement of Northern Command, “Air and maritime assets under our command conducted operations to ensure the defense of the United States and Canada. The (Russian-Chinese) fleet remained in international waters and was not considered a threat.”
The incident occurred in the waters of the bering sea, a hot spot between the United States and Russia due to the proximity of their coasts. The closest point between the two powers is located on the Diomede Islands, where a few kilometers separate the Greater Diomede, under Russian sovereignty, from the Lesser Diomede, American.
