A Russian naval frigate and a nuclear-powered submarine have conducted missile drills in the Atlantic Ocean while on their way to Cuba, the Russian Ministry of Defence has said.
The drills, by the submarine Kazan and the warship Admiral Gorshkov, involved firing high-precision missiles at mock enemy targets from a distance of more than 600km (370 miles), it said in a statement on Tuesday. The 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 vessels due to arrive in Cuba on Wednesday. Cuba said last week that such visits were standard practice by naval units from countries friendly to Havana, and that the ships carried no nuclear weapons and did not present a threat to the region.
The trip will nevertheless be closely watched by the United States at a time of acute tension with Russia over its war in Ukraine.
The US does not see the move as threatening, but the US Navy will monitor the exercises, a US official told reporters last week.
“This is about Russia showing that it’s still capable of some level of global power projection,” the official said.
