Russia’s nuclear submarine to dock in Havana next week: Should US be concerned?

Amid rising tensions with the US over the war in Ukraine, Russian nuclear-powered submarine – which will not be carrying nuclear weapons – will next week visit Havana, which is less than 100 miles from the US coast, Cuba confirmed on Thursday.

According to The Guardian report, citing Cuba’s ministry of the revolutionary armed forces in a statement, the nuclear submarine Kazan and three other Russian naval vessels, including the missile frigate Admiral Gorshkov, an oil tanker and a salvage tug, will dock in the Cuban capital from 12-17 June.

While Russian presence in the Caribbean isn’t unprecedented, the current deployment holds significance.

President Vladimir Putin’s recent commitment to respond with “asymmetrical steps” globally following President Joe Biden’s decision to allow Ukraine to utilise US-supplied weapons against Russia in defence of Kharkiv adds weight to this deployment.

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“None of the vessels is carrying nuclear weapons, so their stopover in our country does not represent a threat to the region,” The Guardian quoted the ministry as saying.

According to Eurasian Times, citing authorities, although Russia did not officially inform the US about the drills amid simmering tensions, the US Navy has been monitoring the movement of Russian ships. While countries usually alert one another to prevent miscalculation, Russia chose not to involve the US in the process, added the report.

Officials said the exercise would be part of a broader Russian response to US support for Ukraine.

According to The Guardian, citing the foreign ministry, during the Russian fleet’s arrival at the port of Havana, 21 salvoes will be fired from one of the ships as a salute to the nation, which will be reciprocated by an artillery battery from Cuba’s revolutionary armed forces.

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Should US be concerned?

It may be noted that Russia has been bolstering ties with two Caribbean countries — Cuba and Venezuela, both embroiled in tensions with the US for several years — in recent times.

Russian military drills in the Caribbean may not alarm the US, but port calls at Cuba and Venezuela are likely to keep the Americans interested.

Cuba, refraining from joining international sanctions on Russia post-Ukraine invasion, saw enhanced relations since February 2022.

President Miguel Diaz-Canel criticised sanctions, advocating against NATO expansion toward Russia. Cuba aims for deeper economic ties with Russia, marked by a Russian naval ship’s docking in July 2023 and ongoing Cuban delegation visits to Russia.

Cuban Deputy Prime Minister Ricardo Cabrisas Ruiz has also assured continued Russian parliamentary support. Reports hint at Russian recruitment of Cubans against Ukraine since mid-2023.

Another country that has strengthened cooperation with Russia is Venezuela. The relationship goes back several years, and Russia has traditionally condemned the use of force threatened by Washington in the country.

Venezuelan President Nicolas Maduro has charged the West on several occasions for trying to “dismember” and “demolish” Russia by intensifying the war in Ukraine. He called the Western sanctions against Russia “madness” and referred to the Ukrainian leadership as a “neo-fascist elite.”

In February this year, Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov arrived in Venezuela on a Latin American tour that included Cuba and Brazil and called to “reinforce and strengthen the entire strategic map of comprehensive cooperation” between the two countries under their “unbreakable” friendship.

The Russian Minister also noted that Moscow would back Venezuela’s efforts to become a member of the BRICS organization—founded in 2009 by South Africa, Brazil, Russia, India, and China—to challenge the political and economic hegemony of the US and Europe.

Military drills in international waters not uncommon

Like many other countries, Russia frequently conducts military exercises in international waters not under any nation’s jurisdiction. For instance, the US and nearly 20 NATO allies are gearing up for BALTOPS 24, a major naval and aviation exercise in the Baltic Sea, which borders Russia closely.

Even before the Ukraine invasion in February 2022, Russia was active in various global drills. In 2022, it simulated Arctic defence, an area of interest for both Russia and NATO.

Naval exercises also took place in the Mediterranean Sea in October 2022, joint war games were held in Venezuela, and the Russian Pacific Fleet conducted significant drills off Siberia and near Alaska last autumn.

The Russian vessels’ visit to Cuba will also overlap with Biden’s visit to the G7 leaders summit in Italy.

Russia-Cuba ties closer than ever

Cuban President Miguel Diaz-Canel met with Putin last month for the annual 9 May military parade on Red Square outside the Kremlin.

During the cold war, Cuba was an important client state for the Soviet Union. The deployment of Soviet nuclear missile sites on the island triggered the Cuban Missile Crisis of 1962, when Washington and Moscow came close to war.

Relations between Russia and Cuba have become closer since a 2022 meeting between Diaz-Canel and Putin.

With inputs from agencies