A Russian intelligence-gathering ship has been spotted roaming the waters off the East Coast.

The SSV-175 Viktor Leonov ship was 70 miles off the coast of Delaware - in international waters - heading north, officials told Fox News.

Armed with surface-to-air missiles, the ship is capable of intercepting communications and can measure U.S. Navy sonar capability, an official said.

'It's not a huge concern, but we are keeping our eyes on it,' they added.

It was not the first such move by Russian military under Trump's presidency.

Four Russian military aircraft conducted low passes against a U.S. destroyer in the Black Sea just days prior to the spy ship was seen.

The sighting came as news broke that White House national security adviser Michael Flynn had been forced to resign amid controversy over his Russia contacts.

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A Russian intelligence-gathering ship has been spotted roaming the waters off the East Coast (pictured in 2015 off the coast of Cuba)

The Viktor Leonov, which measures 300 feet long and 47.5 feet wide, has a crew of 200 sailors carries high-tech electronic surveillance equipment and weaponry, AK-630 rapid-fire cannons and surface-to-air missiles.

It has been spotted loitering off the East Coast on a number of occasions in recent years.

The Vishnya or Meridian-class intelligence ship patrolled near the U.S. nuclear missile submarine base in Kings Bay, Georgia, in 2014 in what the Department of Defense suspect may have been part of an intelligence-gathering operation.

THE RUSSIAN SPY VESSEL VIKTOR LEONOV The Vishnya class intelligence-gathering ship went into service in the Black Sea in 1988 before it was transferred seven years later to the northern fleet. It named after Second World War Soviet sailor Viktor Leonov. Ship measures 300 feet long and 47.5 feet wide. It has a crew of 200 sailors carries high-tech electronic surveillance equipment and weaponry, AK-630 rapid-fire cannons and surface-to-air missiles Advertisement

In a throwback to the Cold War, the spy ship also caused a stir after unexpectedly docking in Havana on the eve of historic talks between the U.S. and Cuba the following year.

There was nothing stealthy about the arrival of the Leonov, which was moored to a pier in Old Havana where cruise ships often dock.

But the visit was not officially announced by Cuban authorities.

The timing also raised eyebrows as it came on the eve of historic U.S-Cuba talks aimed at normalizing diplomatic relations.

U.S. officials in Washington played down the presence of the Russian vessel, saying it was perfectly legal and not at all out of the ordinary.

'It's not unprecedented. It's not unusual. It's not alarming,' a defense official told AFP news agency.

The ship went into service in the Black Sea in 1988 before it was transferred seven years later to the northern fleet, according to Russian media.

The intelligence-gathering ship Viktor Leonov has been spotted on and off around the East Coast over the past few years (pictured in Havana in 2014)

The SSV-175 Viktor Leonov ship was 70 miles off the coast of Delaware - in international waters - heading north, according to officials (pictured in Cuba in 2015)

It was named after Viktor Leonov - a Soviet sailor in the Second World War who was awarded two Hero of the Soviet Union medals.

The vessel previously docked in Havana in February and March 2014, staying there for a few days.



At the time, neither Cuba nor Russia acknowledged or explained the presence of the spy ship in Havana.

The vessel has also been detected in the vicinity of the U.S. Naval Station in Mayport, Florida.

During the Cold War, Russian intelligence gathering ships routinely parked off U.S. submarine bases along the East Coast.