A fleet of Russian warships, including a nuclear-powered submarine, left Havana port on Monday after a five-day visit to Cuba as scheduled military exercises in the Atlantic Ocean. The exercise is seen by some as a show of strength from Moscow amid tensions as the US and other Western countries back Kiev in Russia’s war against Ukraine.
The submarine, a frigate, an oil tanker and a rescue tug slowly left the port on Monday morning.
It is unclear what the fleet’s next destination is or where it will next dock in the Caribbean, although U.S. officials said days ago the ships could also dock in Venezuela.
Biden administration officials said last week that it was monitoring the ships and confirmed that they did not pose a threat to the region or indicate a transfer of missiles. Yet the United States has a submarine, the USS Helena, docked at the Guantanamo Bay Naval Base in Cuba.
The US naval base, located in the southeastern part of the island, about 1,000 kilometers (625 miles) from the capital Havana, is considered illegally occupied territory by the Cuban government.
Last week, the Russian ships arrived at the port after the Russian Defense Ministry reported that the fleet had successfully conducted military exercises in the Atlantic Ocean, simulating a missile attack on targets that could be more than 600 kilometers (375 miles) away.
The fleet, consisting of the frigate “Gorshkov”, the nuclear-powered submarine “Kazan”, the tanker “Pashin” and the tugboat “Nikolai Chiker”, was received in Havana with a 21-gun salute.
Cuban President Miguel Díaz-Canel visited the frigate on Saturday and interacted with the sailors, according to a post by the president on the social media platform X, formerly known as Twitter.
Meanwhile, Cuban Deputy Foreign Minister Carlos Fernández de Cossío rejected the presence of the US submarine at the Guantanamo base, stating that it was unwelcome and uninvited.
A State Department spokesperson said last week that Russia’s port visits to Cuba are “routine naval visits” and do not pose any danger.
On Thursday, a day after arrival, hundreds of people lined up to visit the frigate. The ship was also open to the public on Saturday, which is customary when ships arrive in port.
The Canadian naval patrol boat Margaret Brooke entered Havana harbor on Friday.
