Russian warships head to Caribbean for exercises next week

U.S. officials announced that Russian warships and aircraft would arrive in the Caribbean for military exercises, a move seen as a show of force by Russia amid rising tensions over Western military support for Ukraine.

The exercises will take place under U.S. military supervision and will involve a “small number” of Russian ships and support vessels, according to two officials.

The Cuban Ministry of Foreign Affairs confirmed in a press release that the warships will dock in Havana from June 12 to June 17, stressing that the ships will not carry nuclear weapons and assuring that their presence “poses no threat to the region.”

While this is not the first time the Russian Navy has deployed in the Caribbean, the exercise comes as Russian President Vladimir Putin has hinted at taking “asymmetric measures” around the world, and President Biden has allowed Ukraine to use U.S.-supplied weapons to attack inside Russia in an effort to protect Kharkiv, Ukraine’s second-largest city.

U.S. officials said the exercise was “certainly” part of Russia’s broader response to U.S. support for Ukraine and an effort by Putin to demonstrate that his navy still has global power projection capabilities despite the loss of several ships in the Ukrainian attack.

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Ukrainian military officials reported in March that Russia had lost a third of its Black Sea Fleet to Ukrainian attacks over the past two years of the conflict.

Although Russia did not notify the United States of the upcoming exercises, the U.S. Navy has been tracking the ships’ movements, officials said.

Typically, countries notify each other of such exercises to prevent miscalculation, but officials noted that militaries around the world have the right to conduct exercises in international waters.

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Officials also mentioned that Russian ships are expected to remain in the region throughout the summer and may conduct similar follow-up exercises in the Caribbean after this exercise.

Officials said Congress was informed of the upcoming Russian exercises on Wednesday.