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June 12, 2024 – 15:03
A Russian naval detachment, which includes the nuclear-powered submarine “Kazan,” arrived in Cuba on Wednesday for a five-day visit to the island, AFP reported.
Minutes before 08:00 local time (12:00 GMT), the oil tanker “Pashin” entered the bay of Havana at the forefront of the flotilla, followed by the rescue tug “Nikolai Chiker” decorated with the white, blue and red stripes of the Russian flag.
On a gray morning due to the fog and persistent rain of the previous night, the nuclear submarine “Kazan” appeared on the horizon showing a part of its hump and turret on the surface of the sea, behind it the frigate “Admiral Gorshkov” approached to the bay that borders the Cuban capital.
A Royal Canadian Navy patrol ship HMCS Margaret Broooke will also arrive on Friday to the island, in the context of the 80th anniversary of diplomatic relations between Cuba and Canada, the Cuban Foreign Ministry reported.
The Ministry of Revolutionary Armed Forces (Minfar) indicated last week that the Russian ships do not carry nuclear weapons and do not represent a “threat to the region.”
The arrival of this fleet occurs the same day that Foreign Minister Bruno Rodríguez and his Russian counterpart Sergei Lavrov met in Moscow, the Cuban Foreign Ministry reported.
The visit of the Russian frigate “strictly complies with the international regulations to which Cuba is a State party” and responds to “the historical friendly relations” between Havana and Moscow, said the Cuban army.
The visit of this naval detachment occurs a month after President Miguel Díaz-Canel wished Moscow success in the conflict with Ukraine, during a visit to Russia in which he accompanied President Vladimir Putin during the parade commemorating the Soviet victory. against the Nazis in 1945.
“We wish Russia success in carrying out the special military operation,” said Díaz-Canel, who condemned “the geopolitical manipulation” of the United States and “NATO’s threat to approach the borders” of Russia, quoted by the Russian agency. TASS news.
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