The Russian training ship of the Baltic Fleet Smolnyy arrives at Havana harbor on July 27, 2024, as part of a fleet composed of the patrol vessel Neustrahimiy and the offshore oil tanker Yelnya. The Russian fleet remained on the island from July 27-30. AFP/GETTY IMAGES
THE WATCH STAFF
Just weeks after Russian warships visited the port of Havana, a new Russian flotilla returned to Cuba in July 2024. The visit comes after the Russian Navy announced exercises involving its Northern, Pacific and Baltic Fleets, the latest in Russian military maneuvers involving nuclear weapons and warplanes. The People’s Republic of China (PRC) has joined Russia in joint aircraft patrols and naval exercises for the last several years, increasing tensions already high after the 2022 Russian invasion of Ukraine. The U.S. and its allies have consistently monitored and demonstrated a response presence to these exercises.
The Russian ships from the Baltic Fleet arrived in Havana in late July 2024 and remained there for nearly a week. They included the training ship Smolnyy, the frigate Neustrashimy and the oil tanker Yelnya, the Ministry of the Revolutionary Armed Forces of Cuba (MINFAR) said, according to Newsweek, a U.S. news site. “The visit of ships from other countries is a historical practice of the revolutionary government with countries with which we maintain relations of friendship and cooperation,” the ministry stated. Russian sailors paid a courtesy visit to the Cuban Navy and Havana’s governor. The sailors also visited cultural and historic sites in Havana, according to Newsweek.
A month earlier, another flotilla — this one from Russia’s Northern Fleet, based in the Arctic — visited Havana led by the frigate Adm. Gorshkov and a nuclear submarine, the Kazan. The U.S. government stated both visits were routine and likely a response to Washington’s support for Ukraine. U.S. and Canadian warships monitored the vessels in June as they passed less than 30 miles offshore from Key Largo, Florida. The Russian ships later sailed to Venezuela.
On July 30, the Russian Defense Ministry announced exercises involving its fleets in the Arctic and Pacific oceans as well as in the Baltic and Caspian seas, involving 20,000 personnel and 300 ships. The ministry said the exercises were designed to test readiness and capabilities of the world’s third-largest navy.
Since the drills were announced, three joint exercises have been conducted involving the PRC and Russia’s Air Force and Navy. Alongside Russian Navy units, the PRC missile destroyer Jiao Zuo took part in the maneuvers. The Russian Ministry of Defense reported that PRC and Russian sailors jointly conducted live-fire exercises in a mined area. Russian and PRC sailors also conducted a joint search and rescue operation in the Baltic Sea.
The news coverage of the Russian visit to Havana noted the deepening ties between the historic allies. However, the coverage also noted that the country’s Black Sea Fleet, which has been severely compromised by Ukrainian attacks, did not participate in any of the planned exercises, according to Arctic Today, a nonprofit news site.