The vessel’s arrival comes just weeks after another flotilla of Russian warships, including powerful nuclear-powered submarines, visited Cuba in mid-June as part of military exercises.
advertisementThree warships from the Russian Baltic Fleet have arrived in Cuban waters, the second time Moscow has sailed the seas in months, reflecting the growing ties between Moscow and Havana.
The naval fleet, consisting of training ships, patrol frigates and refueling ships, is expected to remain in Havana harbor until August 30.
The vessel’s arrival comes just weeks after another flotilla of Russian warships, including powerful nuclear-powered submarines, visited Cuba in mid-June as part of military exercises.
U.S. officials closely monitored the exercise and said the four ships posed no threat. At the time, experts described the warships’ Caribbean cruise as a symbolic show of force in response to continued U.S. and Western support for Ukraine.
Cuban defense officials announced the latest port call earlier this week the arrival of the Russian warship a “historic practice” and a sign of “friendship and cooperation.”
However, neither Havana nor Moscow gave details on the purpose of this deployment.
The fleet’s docking caused great excitement among the general public. Cubans strolled the harbor streets on Saturday to get a better look at the warships, and authorities said interested visitors would be able to board the Russian training ship Smolny on Sunday and Monday.
“It’s a friendly thing, a bond between Russia and Cuba,” said 29-year-old onlooker Mydelis Perez. “I go on a family outing.”
Russia is a longtime ally of Venezuela and Cuba, and Russian warships and aircraft periodically sail into the Caribbean and dock in Havana.
Although Cuba does not play a central role in Russian foreign policy, experts say Russia views Cuba as strategically important because of its influence in developing countries.
Both Cuba and Russia are under strict U.S. economic sanctions, but have strengthened political and economic ties in recent years. In particular, Moscow seeks to increase diplomatic support for the war in Ukraine, while Havana seeks all possible economic support.
Cuba consistently abstained from UN resolutions on the invasion of Ukraine and avoided criticizing Moscow’s war effort. Russia sold significant amounts of oil to Cuba, which was struggling under Washington’s economic sanctions imposed by then-President John F. Kennedy in 1962.
