Russian warships conducted drills in the Atlantic on their way to visit Cuba, the military announced on Tuesday. The Admiral Gorshkov frigate and the Kazan nuclear-powered submarine simulated a missile strike on enemy ships over 600 kilometers away. The Admiral Gorshkov is armed with new Zircon hypersonic missiles, capable of penetrating anti-missile defenses at nine times the speed of sound.
Accompanied by two support vessels, the Russian warships are visiting Havana to strengthen historically friendly relations between Russia and Cuba. The visit will last from Wednesday to June 17, with the Cuban Foreign Ministry reassuring that none of the vessels will carry nuclear weapons and pose no threat to the region. This comes amid tensions with the West over Ukraine, as the U.S. had been tracking Russian warships and aircraft expected to arrive in the Caribbean for a military exercise.
This visit follows Russian President Vladimir Putin’s warning that Moscow could respond to Ukraine’s Western allies providing weapons by arming adversaries of the West worldwide. While Russia has sent warships to the Caribbean before, this week’s visit underscores Moscow’s efforts to project power in response to perceived threats from the West. The Cuban government’s welcoming stance towards the Russian warships reflects the ongoing geopolitical dynamics in the region.
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