A fleet of Russian warships has left the port of Havana after a five-day go to to Cuba, following deliberate navy drills.
The vessels, which included a nuclear-powered submarine and a frigate, had been anchored at Havana Bay – some 90 miles (145km) from the US state of Florida.
The US stated it didn’t see the go to as a risk however added that it was monitoring the vessels intently.
Following the fleet’s arrival, the US docked a submarine, the USS Helena, at its Guantanamo Bay Naval Base in Cuba on Thursday.
Locals waved Russian flags because the Russian vessels left on Monday.
Cuban President Miguel DÃaz-Canel visited the frigate – a part of the fleet – on Saturday and interacted with the sailors, in response to a submit by the president on X.
Cuba’s overseas ministry stated not one of the vessels had nuclear arms on board, and the go to didn’t pose a risk to the area.
However Russia’s defence ministry stated the Admiral Gorshkov frigate and the Kazan submarine have been each carriers of superior weapons, together with hypersonic missiles Zircon. They earlier carried out missile drills within the Atlantic.
The go to is a crucial image of help to the communist-run authorities in Cuba and its socialist ally, Venezuela, the place the warships might sail to subsequent after they end in Havana.
Russia has despatched warships to Cuba prior to now and the 2 nations are long-standing allies – however the timing of those explicit workout routines stands out.
Coming amid rising tensions over Russia’s full-scale invasion of Ukraine in 2022, the operation is being interpreted by some as sabre-rattling by Moscow.
