The frigate and the submarine are part of a four-strong fleet that will arrive in Cuba on Wednesday.
A Russian naval frigate and a nuclear-powered submarine conducted missile exercises in the Atlantic Ocean while en route to Cuba, the Russian Defense Ministry said.
The exercises, conducted by the submarine Kazan and the warship Admiral Gorshkov, involved firing high-precision missiles at simulated enemy targets from a distance of more than 600 kilometers (370 miles), it said in a statement Tuesday. Admiral Gorshkov also conducted training to repel an air attack in recent days, the ministry reported.
They are part of a group of four Russian ships that will arrive in Cuba on Wednesday. Cuba said last week that such visits were common practice by naval units from countries friendly to Havana, and that the ships did not carry nuclear weapons and did not present a threat to the region.
However, the United States will closely monitor the trip at a time of acute tension with Russia over its war in Ukraine.
The United States does not consider the move a threat, but the US Navy will supervise the exercises, a US official told reporters last week.
“This is about Russia showing that it is still capable of achieving some level of global power projection,” the official said.
Cuba and Russia strengthen bilateral relations
Admiral Gorshkov is armed with new Zircon hypersonic missiles. The weapon has been designed to arm Russian cruisers, frigates and submarines and could be used against sea and land targets.
Russian President Vladimir Putin has touted the Zircon as a powerful weapon capable of penetrating any existing missile defense by flying nine times faster than the speed of sound at a distance of more than 1,000 kilometers (more than 620 miles).
Admiral Gorshkov and the Kazan are accompanied by two support ships on their visit to Havana, which Cuban officials say reflects “historically friendly relations” between Russia and Cuba.
The Cuban Foreign Ministry said the Russian warships will be in Havana between Wednesday and June 17.
It is 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 Kiev to use its weapons to attack targets in Russia delivering similar weapons to Western adversaries. world.
