Russian warships, including the Admiral Gorshkov frigate and the Kazan nuclear-powered submarine, conducted military exercises in the Atlantic Ocean while en route to Cuba. The Russian Defense Ministry announced on Tuesday that the drills simulated a missile strike on a group of enemy ships using computer simulations, targeting vessels over 600 kilometers away.
The Admiral Gorshkov, equipped with Zircon hypersonic missiles, was a focal point of the exercise. The missiles, lauded by Russian President Vladimir Putin, are capable of reaching speeds nine times faster than sound and have a range exceeding 1,000 kilometers. Putin has promoted the Zircon as a significant advancement capable of penetrating existing missile defenses.
Russia’s🇷🇺 Navy arrives in Cuba🇨🇺, armed with hypersonic missiles after the US gave the green light for Ukraine to use long-range weaponry to strike inside Russia
Vladimir Putin has also said that Russia could now provide weapons to NATO adversaries in retaliation pic.twitter.com/Uaxh9Sz1mz
— Afshin Rattansi (@afshinrattansi) June 10, 2024
As the Russian vessels head towards Havana, U.S. naval and aerial assets, including the USS Truxtun and USS Donald Cook destroyers, have been observed shadowing the flotilla. Surveillance by aircraft such as the U.S. Navy P-8A Poseidon and Canadian CP-140 Aurora has also been noted.
The Russian Defense Ministry stated that the deployment to Cuba reflects “historically friendly relations” between Russia and Cuba. The Cuban Foreign Ministry confirmed that the warships, which also include the fleet oil tanker Pashin and the rescue tug Nikolay Chiker, will be in Havana from Wednesday until June 17. The ministry assured that none of the visiting ships would carry nuclear weapons and emphasized that their presence does not pose a threat to regional stability.
A U.S. State Department spokesperson indicated that the United States expects increased Russian naval and air activity in the region, culminating in a global Russian naval exercise this fall. Despite the increased activity, the Pentagon has stated that these movements pose no direct threat to the United States and are considered routine naval operations.
The presence of Russian warships in the Caribbean, including potential port calls in Cuba and possibly Venezuela, is not unprecedented. Russian naval visits to the region occurred regularly between 2013 and 2020. However, this particular visit comes at a time of heightened geopolitical tensions, following increased NATO support for Ukraine and recent U.S. approvals for Ukraine to use American weapons against targets within Russian borders.
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