A fleet of Russian warships, has left Havana’s port after spending five days in Cuba, following planned military drills in the Atlantic.
The fleet included a nuclear-powered submarine, a frigate, an oiler tanker and a rescue tug.
The exercise has been seen by some as a show of strength by Moscow against the backdrop of tensions as U.S. and other Western nations support Kiev in Russia’s war on Ukraine, says the AP.
Cuba’s foreign ministry said none of the vessels had nuclear arms on board, and the visit did not pose a threat to the region.
But Russia’s defence ministry said the Admiral Gorshkov frigate and the Kazan submarine were both carriers of advanced weapons, including hypersonic missiles Zircon.
Following the fleet’s arrival, the US docked a submarine, the USS Helena, at its Guantanamo Bay Naval Base in Cuba on Thursday, in order to monitor the Russian fleet, though the US said its presence wasn’t necessarily a reason for concern.
Cuban Deputy Foreign Minister Carlos Fernández de Cossío suggested that the American submarine’s presence was unwelcome and uninvited.
As the vessels sailed off, Cubans waved it off with Russian flags.
The visit is an important symbol of support to the communist-run government in Cuba and its socialist ally, Venezuela. The Russian fleet might go to Venezuela next.
Russia has previously sent warships to Cuba.
