Four Russian warships including a nuclear submarine have reached Cuba, just 200 miles off the coast of Florida, ahead of a planned military exercise in the Atlantic.
The fleet — made up of a frigate, a nuclear-powered submarine, an oil tanker and a rescue tug — arrived in Havana Bay on Wednesday, welcomed by a 21-cannon salute from Cuba.
Dramatic images from the arrival show the ominous and massive vessels entering the bay as Cubans lined up on the streets to take pictures of the Kremlin’s nautical forces.
Some civilians could be seen wrapped up in Russian flags, with the frigate in turn flying the Kremlin and Cuba’s colors as its sailors stood in formation while approaching the island nation.
The sub in Cuba was identified as the Kazan, a Yasen-class nuclear-powered cruise missile submarine.
While the submarine is typically equipped with Zircon hypersonic missiles, according to Russian government news agency Tass, it is unclear whether the Kazan is currently armed with such weaponry.
US and Cuban officials have also said that while the submarine is nuclear powered, it is not carrying nuclear weapons.
National security adviser Jake Sullivan told reporters Wednesday that the US is closely monitoring the Russian military drills in the Atlantic, adding that there is no evidence that Russia is transferring any missiles to Cuba.
Experts believe the exercise is a show of force by the Kremlin after the US allowed Ukraine to fire American-made weapons into Russia in order to defend Kharkiv, Ukraine’s second-largest city.
“The warships are a reminder to Washington that it is unpleasant when an adversary meddles in your near abroad,” said Benjamin Gedan, director of the Latin America Program at the Washington-based Wilson Center think tank.
“It also reminds Russia’s friends in the region, including US antagonists Cuba and Venezuela, that Moscow is on their side,” he added.
Russian ships and submarines have been docked in Havana since 2008 as part of Russian military exercises. US officials said they expect the latest round of vessels to remain in the region through the summer, with a possible stop scheduled in Venezuela.
