Russian ships conduct missile exercises in the Atlantic en route to Cuba | Military news

The frigate and submarine are part of a four-man fleet due to arrive in Cuba on Wednesday.

A Russian naval frigate and a nuclear-powered submarine conducted missile exercises in the Atlantic Ocean as they headed toward Cuba, the Russian Defense Ministry said.

The exercises, conducted by the Kazan submarine and the Admiral Gorshkov warship, involved firing high-precision missiles at conventional enemy targets at a distance of more than 600 km (370 miles), a statement said Tuesday. Admiral Gorshkov also conducted training in recent days to repel an air attack, the ministry said.

They are part of a group of four Russian ships scheduled to arrive in Cuba on Wednesday. Cuba said last week that such visits were standard practice for naval units from countries friendly to Havana, and that the ships carried no nuclear weapons and posed no threat to the region.

This trip will nevertheless be closely monitored by the United States, at a time of high tensions with Russia over its war in Ukraine.

The United States does not view the move as a threat, but the U.S. Navy will monitor the exercises, a U.S. official told reporters last week.

“This is about Russia showing that it is still capable of a certain level of global power projection,” the official said.

Strong bilateral relations between Cuba and Russia

Admiral Gorshkov is armed with new Zircon hypersonic missiles. The weapon was designed to arm Russian cruisers, frigates and submarines and could be used against sea and land targets.

Russian President Vladimir Putin has touted Zircon as a powerful weapon capable of penetrating all existing missile defenses by flying nine times faster than the speed of sound over a distance of more than 1,000 km (over 620 miles).

The Admiral Gorshkov and Kazan are accompanied by two support ships during their visit to Havana, which Cuban officials say reflects the “historically friendly relations” between Russia and Cuba.

The Cuban Foreign Ministry said the Russian warships would be in Havana between Wednesday and June 17.

It's not the first time Russia has sent its warships to the Caribbean, but this week's visit follows Putin's warning that Moscow could respond to Ukraine's Western allies allowing kyiv to use their weapons to strike targets in Russia by giving similar weapons to Western adversaries. global.