(ProsperNews.net) – The recent visit of Russian warships to Cuba was an attempt to intimidate the United States and demonstrate Russia’s military strength, analysts say. Russian President Vladimir Putin has previously heaped praise on the ships that docked in Havana for five days, including the submarine Kazan, which was completed and sent to sea for the first time in 2021. At that time, officials from the US Northern Command described the vessel as “on a par with ours,” while French President Emmanuel Macron emphasized the need for “underwater security” to meet Russian submarine advances.
The Kazan carries nuclear-capable Zircon hypersonic missiles, which are maneuverable and travel at nine times the speed of sound. The fleet docked in Cuba also included the Admiral Gorshkov, which can likewise carry Zircon rockets.
The arrival in Havana was preceded by military exercises in the Atlantic, which the Russian Navy said were intended to practice “the use of high-precision missile weapons by means of computer modeling.”
US officials insisted that the Naval visit did not threaten the United States. The Pentagon closely monitored events but said the trip was standard and not the first from Moscow to Havana as the two countries have been close allies for years.
Nevertheless, America deployed a host of aircraft and ships to the area, including the P-8 Poseidon plane equipped with radars capable of viewing even the minutest activity on board the Russian fleet. The US Coast Guard National Security Cutter Stone was also in the region. The Canadian military was likewise engaged and involved in monitoring exercises.
After five days in Cuba, the Russians departed, and some observers noted the flotilla’s poor state. Witnesses described panels falling from the submarine’s fascia and saw Russian divers carrying out repairs. Experts said, however, that the flaws would unlikely impact the vessels’ military capacity. John Hardie of the Russia Program at the Foundation for the Defense of Democracies said the problem is common and affects all naval fleets, including America’s.
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