"A group of ships from the Russian Navy will arrive in Havana between June 12 and 17, 2024, an official visit will be made to the port of Havana by a naval detachment of the Russian Federation, consisting of four ships: the frigate GORSHKOV, the nuclear-powered submarine KAZAN, the fleet oil tanker PASHIN and the rescue tug NIKOLAI CHIKER", the Cuban Ministry of the Revolutionary Armed Forces said in a statement.
This official message to appear in columns of that country’s major Granma newspaper has given rise to numerous speculations in the United States of America, all of which boil down to the fact that Russia has made up its mind to respond to the US and its allies’ increasingly active engagement in the Ukrainian conflict as Washington gave the green light to using Western long-range missiles against Russian territories.
Meanwhile, the official Cuban statement has been quite low-profile. It states that the visit by Russian ships " corresponds to the historical friendly relations between Cuba and the Russian Federation and strictly adheres to the international regulations," and that "none of the ships carry nuclear weapons, so their stopover in our country does not represent a threat to the region."
Further wording of Cuba’s official Cuban communiqué looks all the more peaceful: “The visits of naval units from other countries is a historical practice of the revolutionary government with nations with which we maintain friendly and collaborative relations. During their stay, Russian sailors will carry out a program of activities that includes courtesy visits to the Chief of the Revolutionary Navy and the Governor of Havana. They will also visit places of historical and cultural interest."
The only thing reminding of weapons is the ceremonial fireworks display. “Upon arrival at the port of Havana, 21 salvos will be fired from one of the ships of the group of ships as a salute to the Nation, which will be reciprocated by an artillery battery of the Revolutionary Armed Forces from the San Carlos de La Cabaña Fortress,” the military department went on to say in its statement.
Meanwhile, as the American media note, Washington has actually accused Moscow of planning “to conduct military maneuvers in the Caribbean Sea with both Cuba and Venezuela engaged.” They link that to the fact that US President Biden’s decision to supply Ukraine with long-range weapons to attack Russian territories prompted Mr. Putin’s intimidations regarding deployment of similar weapons at his allies to threaten the West. The American press, while freely interpreting Putin’s words, has nevertheless provided close quotes from the Russian President’s speech he came up with at the plenary session of St. Petersburg’s International Economic Forum (SPIEF).
Just a reminder: Putin said Russia reserved the right to supply long-range weapons to Russian allies for possible use against Western strategic interests. “We are not supplying those yet, but we reserve the right to do this to those states or even some structures that are experiencing pressure on themselves, including of a military nature,” Putin said.
And yet, the American administration is strongly willing to demonstrate its grip on everything and that the Russian ships’ visit to Cuba is no big deal. "Russia’s military is expected to increase its naval and air activity near the United States this summer as part of routine maneuvers in the lead up to a global naval exercise in the fall," CNN cited the US State Department as saying. “Russia is likely to send combat naval vessels to the Caribbean, with potential port calls in Cuba and possibly Venezuela,” Pentagon spokesman Maj. Charlie Dietz said.
"Aircraft deployments or flights in the region are also anticipated. These deployments are part of Russia’s routine naval operations and pose no direct threat to the United States," Mr. Dietz added with feigned calm. Alongside Russian ships this summer will also be one of the Russian Navy’s Severodvinsk II-class submarines, he stressed. "The port call for that submarine was approved at least in part due to Havana’s displeasure over the visit of a US nuclear submarine to the US’ Guantanamo Bay Naval Base in Cuba last year," Dietz said, indicating that the United States is aware of Russian submarine movements in the seven seas.
"Given Russia’s long history of Cuban port calls, these are considered routine naval visits, especially in the context of increased US support to Ukraine and NATO exercises," Dietz went on to say. Like, sleep well America, the guards are up-and-doing.
And still, the tranquility of US officials runs counter to the tone of local media. "It’s not the first time Russian Navy ships have been sent to Cuba, a key ally to the former Soviet Union during the Cold War that briefly hosted nuclear missiles at Moscow’s behest during the 1962 Cuban Missile Crisis," CNN reports with noticeable alarm. Last July, the Navy training ship Perekop was calling at Havana with a four-day visit, but the current presence of Russian vessels will likely be the largest of its kind over the past few years.
“Cuba says none of the ships carry nuclear weapons and insists their stopover does not represent a threat to the region,” CNN goes on to write. But “Moscow has not confirmed the information provided by Cuba.” It is crystal-clear that the United States has perceived the Cuban emphasis on the absence of nukes aboard Russian ships as a likely hint to the opposite.
The American audience, courtesy of interpretations by its media, may understand the situation in quite a different way. For example, no one really knows what kind of weapons Russian warships carry, so this issue has been up in the air to become a threat in itself to ordinary American people. No prize for guessing that despite any statements by the Pentagon or the State Department, US officials have regarded the presence of Russian vessels in the Caribbean Sea as a signal of American vulnerability and sensitivity to a potential Russian nuclear strike once things in Ukraine start developing along a track dangerous to Russia.
