United States officials have announced that Russian warships and aircraft are set to arrive in the Caribbean for a military exercise, a move seen as a show of force amid increasing tensions over Western military support for Ukraine.
According to two officials, the exercise, which will be under U.S. military surveillance, will involve a “handful” of Russian ships and support vessels.
Cuba’s foreign ministry confirmed in a news release that the ships will dock in Havana from June 12 to June 17, emphasizing that none will carry nuclear weapons and assuring that their presence “does not represent a threat to the region.”
While this is not the first instance of Russian naval presence in the Caribbean, this particular exercise comes as Russian President Vladimir Putin has hinted at taking “asymmetrical steps” globally in response to President Joe Biden’s decision to allow Ukraine to use U.S.-provided weapons to strike within Russia, aiming to protect Kharkiv, Ukraine’s second-largest city.
U.S. officials indicated that the exercise is “certainly” part of a broader Russian response to U.S. support for Ukraine, as well as an effort by Putin to demonstrate that his navy still holds global power projection capabilities despite having lost several ships to Ukrainian strikes.
Ukrainian military officials reported in March that Russia had lost one-third of its Black Sea fleet to Ukrainian attacks over the past two years of conflict.
Although Russia did not notify the U.S. of the impending exercise, the U.S. Navy has been tracking the ships’ movements, the officials said.
Typically, countries notify one another of such exercises to prevent miscalculations, but the officials noted that militaries worldwide have the right to conduct exercises in international waters.
The officials also mentioned that the Russian ships are expected to remain in the region throughout the summer and will likely conduct similar follow-up exercises in the Caribbean after this one concludes.
The officials said Congress was notified of the upcoming Russian exercises on Wednesday.
