U.S. officials said Russia’s planned naval exercises in the Caribbean are part of routine military activity, but such displays have increased due to the United States’ support for Ukraine and NATO allies. File Photo by Yonhap News Agency/UPI
Russia will begin air and naval exercises in the Caribbean next week, according to Cuban and U.S. government officials.
The exercise involves three Russian Navy ships and a nuclear-powered submarine, which will arrive on June 12 at the Port of Havana in Cuba and stay for one week, according to a statement from the Cuban military per the Miami Herald. Advertisement
Cuban officials said the visit is part of the “friendly” relations between Russia and Cuba and does not pose a threat to the region because “none of the ships carry nuclear weapons.”
U.S. officials similarly do not see the naval exercises as a direct threat, despite heightened tensions between the United States and Russia over the latter country’s invasion of Ukraine.
The Biden administration last month cleared Ukraine to use American-provided weapons on targets inside Russia but restricted their use to Russian artillery sites in the Belgorod region.
The narrow permissions are meant to avoid implicating the United States in a direct conflict with Russia.
Russian ships are expected to make port calls in Cuba and perhaps Venezuela. The regional exercises are expected to last through the summer and culminate in a global naval exercise in the fall. Advertisement
Russia did not notify the United States of its pending exercises in the Caribbean, but the U.S. Navy has been tracking the ships’ movement for some time, according to U.S. officials.
The deployment is considered part of routine naval activity. Russian vessels have visited Cuba since 1969, according to the U.S. Navy Institute.
Next week’s exercise would be the first joint air and sea exercise Russia has conducted in the Caribbean since 2019.
While not seen a direct threat to the United States, routine Russian military exercises have increased in frequency because of U.S. support for Ukraine and NATO allies, officials said.
About 20 NATO countries, including the United States, on Friday will conduct a major naval and air exercise in the Baltic region near Russia.
