[Cabrera:] Welcome back. This sounds like something out of a James Bond movie. Russian surveillance ships sailing waters off the east coast. The Coast Guard says it is happening. And the ship is putting boaters in danger with its reckless behavior. CNN's Brian Todd has more.
[Brian Todd, Cnn Correspondent:] It's known for playing "Hunt for Red October"-style games with the U.S. Navy. But according to U.S. officials, the Russian spy ship, the "Viktor Leonov," is sailing recklessly right off of America's shores. Two U.S. officials telling CNN, the "Leonov" has been operating off the coast of South Carolina and Florida in a, quote, "unsafe manner." Not using its lights in low visibility weather, not responding to signals from commercial ships, which are trying to avoid colliding with it.
[Stephen Blank, Former Professor, United States Army War College:] It's absolutely purposeful. First of all, this is an intelligence ship. So, it's not going to disclose its point of location to anybody. They like to be able to intimidate people and bully them and this is another way of doing that.
[Todd:] The U.S. Coast Guard says the "Leonov" is making other erratic movements and warns other ships to maintain a sharp lookout for the Russian spy ship. The "Leonov" has been prowling around America's East Coast for more than four years near some key U.S. Navy installations: Cape Canaveral, which handles underwater operations. Kings Bay, Georgia, home to nuclear missile submarines. Norfolk, the world's largest naval complex. And New London, Connecticut, another major submarine base. Experts say those U.S. bases offer a treasure trove of possible intelligence for Vladimir Putin's Navy.
[Blank:] Where they'd be looking for the schedule of ships entering and leaving the port. They'd be trying to monitor as much of their communications as possible. They would also be trying to monitor underwater developments if they can track submarines.
[Todd:] Experts say Russian vessels have even spying on undersea Internet cables.
[Michael Kofman, Russian Military Expert, Cna Corporation:] And the reason why they want the map, so that, in future conflicts or crisis, they actually have the opportunity, if they can, to attack and destroy, or otherwise tamper.
[Todd:] But despite the dazzling unveilings of hypersonic missiles and other weapons, Putin's military hasn't been hitting on all cylinders recently. It's only aircraft carrier, the "Admiral Kuznetsov," caught fire last week during repairs at an Arctic seaport. In August, during what U.S. officials believe was the testing of a secret nuclear-powered missile, a mysterious explosion occurred, killing five. This summer, a fire aboard a Russian submersible killed 14 crew members. Tragic examples, analysts say, of the Russian president overextending his military.
[Jeffrey Edmonds, Expert On Russia And Eurasia:] There are certain parts of their military, they're very formidable, but they push the entire military as much as they can. And so those parts that might be weaker or older might be more subject to accidents and mishaps.
[Todd:] Analysts say, despite the recklessness, the accidents, all the setbacks, we shouldn't expect any of it to deter Vladimir Putin from pursuing his grand strategy. Not only of projecting Russian military power across the globe but also of signaling his American and NATO adversaries not to mess around with his turf those naval bases in the Black and Baltic Seas, the Pacific, and the Arctic Ocean that the Russians value so much. Brian Todd, CNN, Washington.
[Cabrera:] That does it for me this hour. I'm Ana Cabrera, in New York. I'll be back just an hour from now. Meantime, my colleague, S.E. Cupp, continues our coverage of today's news right after a quick break. Don't go anywhere.