It is planned that the vessels will make possible stopovers in ports of Venezuela and Cubawhile Russia establishes a military presence in the Western Hemisphere that, according to senior U.S. government officials, president joe bidenit was attention-grabbing but not worrying.
The drills, which will be closely monitored by the U.S. military, will include a “handful” of Russian ships and support vessels, the two officials said.
Meanwhile, the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Cuba reported this Thursday that three ships and a submarine from the Russian Navy will dock in the port of Havana between June 12 and 17, a visit that “does not represent threats” to the Caribbean region, since “none of the ships are carrier of nuclear weapons,” according to the regime.
“This visit corresponds to the historical friendly relations between Cuba and the Russian Federation and strictly complies with the international regulations to which Cuba is a State Party,” the Ministry said in a statement.
The delegation will be made up of the frigate Gorshkovthe nuclear powered submarine Kazanthe tanker Pashin and the rescue tug Nikolai Chiker.
Asymmetrical measurements
It is not the first time that Russia sends ships to the Caribbean. However, this exercise is carried out while the Russian President Vladimir Putin has hinted that Moscow could take “asymmetric measures” in other parts of the world in response to Biden’s decision to allow Ukraine to use weapons provided by the United States to launch attacks inside Russian territory with the aim of protecting Kharkiv, Ukraine’s second largest city.
Officials said the exercise is “without a doubt” part of a broader Russian response to U.S. support for Ukraine.but it is also an attempt by Putin to demonstrate that his navy is still capable of projecting global power after losing several vessels in Ukrainian attacks.
Ukrainian military officials said in March that Russia had lost a third of its Black Sea fleet to Ukrainian attacks over the past two years of war.
Russia did not notify the United States about the upcoming maneuvers, but the US Navy has been tracking the movements of these vessels, the officials said.
Although Russia did not notify the United States – which countries often do to avoid misunderstandings – officials said militaries around the world have the right to conduct maneuvers in international waters and do so regularly. About 20 NATO countries. including the United States, will kick off BALTOPS 24, a major naval and air exercise in the Baltic region near Russia starting Friday.
Officials said they expect Russian ships to remain in the region throughout the summer and will likely conduct similar follow-up exercises in the Caribbean after concluding these maneuvers.
Officials said Congress was notified Wednesday about upcoming Russian military exercises
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FOUNTAIN: With information from Europa Press / AP
