A Russian military fleet composed of a nuclear-powered submarine, a frigate and two logistics ships It began to withdraw from the port of Havana on Monday after a five-day visit and after carrying out maneuvers in the Atlantic.
The ships began their departure movements early in the morning and gradually, the agency confirmed. AP.
Along these lines, the Liberal Government of Canada, criticized by opposition legislators for sending a patrol ship to Havana while Russian ships were there, stated on Monday that the visit was intended send a message of deterrence to Moscow.
The Canadian navy ship arrived at the port of Havana early on Friday, two days after the arrival of a Russian nuclear submarine and frigate.
“The deployment (…) sends a very clear message that Canada has a capable Army“Defence Minister Bill Blair told reporters. “The Canadian Armed Forces They will continue to monitor the movements and activities of Russian ships (…) Presence is deterrence. “We were present.”
“Why is (Justine) Trudeau’s government sending a Canadian warship to ‘celebrate’ relations with a communist dictatorship, much less when there are Russian warships docked there? Cuba and Russia are not allies of Canada,” Conservative Foreign Affairs spokesman Michael Chong said in a social media post.
The United States reported that it was closely monitoring the vessels and denied that they were a danger to the region or represented the transfer of missiles. In any case, a North American submarine, the USS Helena, docked at the Guantánamo Naval Base, a military fort that Washington maintains on the eastern end of the island, about 1,000 kilometers from the capital, against the will of Havana.
Last week the Russian ships had arrived at the port amid general attention because the Russian Ministry of Defense reported that The fleet had successfully carried out military maneuvers in the Atlantic simulating a missile attack on targets that could be more than 600 kilometers away..
The fleet composed of the frigate “Gorshkov”, the nuclear-powered submarine “Kazan”, the tanker “Pashin” and the tugboat “Nikolai Chiker” It was received in Havana with 21 cannon salutes.
The leader of the regime, Miguel Díaz-Canel, visited the frigate on Saturday and shared with the sailors, the president himself reported on his X account, formerly Twitter. In return, Vice Chancellor Carlos Fernández de Cossio rejected the presence of the US submarine at the Guantánamo Base and assured that he was not welcome because he had not been invited.
Previously, the Cuban Foreign Ministry had reported on the arrival of the Russian fleet, which it described as a routine visit between friendly countries and assured that it did not constitute any danger.
“We were aware of its presence, because in accordance with procedures that we have followed for years, the United States informed us in advance” about the presence of the USS Helena, Vice Foreign Minister Carlos Fernández de Cossio stated in comments to the official Cubadebate portal.
“But obviously we do not like the presence in our territory and transiting through our waters of a means of that nature (the North American submarine), belonging to a power that maintains an official and practical policy that is hostile against Cuba,” Cossio added.
A day after docking, on Thursday, hundreds of people of all ages queued to visit the frigate, which was also open to the local population on Saturday, a common practice when ships arrive at this port.
Meanwhile, the Royal Canadian Navy ship “Margaret Brooke” also passed through the port of Havana.
Cuba and Russia are countries sanctioned by the United States and in recent years they have had a strong political and economic rapprochement. For the island, the embargo that seeks to pressure a change in model has a great financial impact.
Havana never joined in condemning the war in Ukraine and advocated for a peaceful negotiation.
It was not indicated what the next movements or docking points of the Russian fleet in the Caribbean will be.
(With information from AP)
