Russian Warships Approach Cuba Ahead of Military Exercises
A fleet of Russian warships on June 12 began entering the Caribbean ahead of military exercises, in what some see as a show of strength as tensions grow over Western support for Ukraine.
The first two ships slowly crossed the mouth of the Havana Bay accompanied by small boats that guided them through the narrow entrance channel.
The US military expects the exercises will involve a handful of Russian ships and support vessels, which may also stop in Venezuela.
Russia is a longtime ally of Venezuela and Cuba, and its warships and aircraft have entered into the Caribbean before. But this mission comes less than two weeks after President Joe Biden authorized Ukraine to use US-provided weapons to strike inside Russia to protect Kharkiv, Ukraine's second-largest city. President Vladimir Putin then suggested his military could respond elsewhere in the world.
"Most of all, the warships are a reminder to Washington that it is unpleasant when an adversary meddles in your near abroad," said Benjamin Gedan, of the Washington-based Wilson Center research organization. "It also reminds Russia's friends in the region, including US antagonists Cuba and Venezuela, that Moscow is on their side."
Although the fleet includes a nuclear-powered submarine, a senior US official told The Associated Press that the US Intelligence Community has determined no vessel is carrying nuclear weapons. The official said Russia's exercises are "no direct threat to the United States."
Other US officials have said the Russian ships were expected to remain in the region through the summer.
Russian ships have occasionally visited Havana since 2008, when a group of Russian vessels entered Cuban waters in what state media described as the first such visit in almost two decades.
A State Department spokesperson told The Associated Press that Russia's port calls in Cuba are routine visits, while recognizing its military exercises "have ratcheted up because of US support to Ukraine and exercise activity in support of our NATO allies."
