Russia sent a group of warships and a nuclear submarine to Cuba: what's going on

Four Russian ships, including ballistic missile carriers, are heading to the Caribbean Sea. They will be in Havana next week and will remain in Cuba until June 17.

According to the Cuban communist authorities, "this visit is in line with the historical friendly relations between Cuba and the Russian Federation" and "does not pose a threat to the region." Earlier, Russia reported that it plans to send warships to the Caribbean region "to conduct naval exercises."

The Yasen-class nuclear submarine, the Admiral Gorshkov-class frigate, as well as the Akademik Pashin oil tanker of Project 23130 and the Nikolai Chiker rescue tug of Project R-5757 are heading to Havana. The first two boats are carriers of Kalibr, Oniks, and Tsyrkon class cruise missiles. All four ships belong to the Russian Northern Fleet.

It is stated that they will be based 144 kilometers from the US coast.

The US unofficially reported that it does not consider the arrival of Russian ships in the Caribbean region to be a threat, but the US Navy will "closely monitor" the exercises.

Against the backdrop of Cuba's statements about the absence of a threat to the region, several leading media outlets reminded us of the 1962 Cuban Missile Crisis, which began in the same way and almost ended in nuclear war.

The Cuban Missile Crisis is considered to be the high point of the Cold War, after which the world began to talk about the need for disarmament. It began with the Cuban government's request to the USSR for military assistance to prevent the overthrow of Fidel Castro's government. The USSR responded to Cuba's request by proposing the deployment of nuclear weapons in the Caribbean region.

The outbreak of the Cuban Missile Crisis was also preceded by the USSR's announcement of "military exercises" in the region. Instead, all available Soviet weapons, including nuclear weapons, were deployed in Cuba. In response, U.S. President John F. Kennedy declared a naval blockade of Cuba, which included the search of all ships heading to the island.

In late October 1962, five Soviet ships came close to the blockade zone and stopped. Only three hours remained before a possible U.S. strike on Cuba and, consequently, the exchange of nuclear strikes. However, the leaders of the United States and the USSR managed to reach an agreement and the war did not begin.

As reported by OBOZ.UA, in May, the Ukrainian Defense Forces hit the Cyclone missile ship of the Russian Black Sea Fleet's 22800 project in Sevastopol . The ship was hit with ATACMS missiles. The attack killed six Russian Black Sea Fleet servicemen and wounded 11 others. The ship itself sank.

The spokesman for the Southern Defense Forces, Dmytro Pletenchuk, said that the corvette did not even have time to pass state tests because it never launched a single cruise missile.

Also in May, the Defense Forces destroyed the Russian Black Sea Fleet's Project 266-M Kovrovets minesweeper, and the Lomonosov ship, which was undergoing repairs, burned down in Arkhangelsk, Russia.

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