The Russian military fleet composed of a nuclear-powered submarine, a frigate and two logistics ships began to withdraw from the port of Havana on Monday after a five-day visit and after carrying out maneuvers in the Atlantic. It was not indicated what the next movements or docking points of the Russian fleet in the Caribbean will be.
The ships began their departure movements early in the morning and gradually, The Associated Press confirmed.
The United States reported that it was closely monitoring the vessels and denied that they were a danger to the region or meant 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 consists 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.
President 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 to which described it as a routine visit between friendly countries and assured that it did not constitute any danger.
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 had a strong political and economic approach. 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.
