"Routine Visits" of Russian and Canadian Warships to Havana Harbour

HMCS Margaret Brooke entered the harbour of Havana, Cuba, June 14, 2024

The Canadian navy patrol boat HMCS Margaret Brooke entered the harbour of Havana, Cuba, on June 14 on what both the Cuban and Canadian governments say was a "routine visit." The Canadian Joint Operations Command called it "a port visit in recognition of the long-standing bilateral relationship between Canada and Cuba."

This visit took place just hours after the United States announced a fast-attack submarine had docked at its Guantanamo naval base which is on occupied Cuban territory. "The vessel's location and transit were previously planned," U.S. Southern Command said on X.

Earlier in the week, on June 12, Russian vessels, the Admiral Gorshkov frigate and the nuclear-powered submarine Kazan accompanied by an oil tanker and a rescue tug, entered the harbour at Havana after conducting high-precision missile weapons training in the Atlantic Ocean. Russia's defence ministry says both the frigate and the submarine are carriers of advanced weapons, including the Zircon nuclear-capable hypersonic cruise missile.

The consensus in the U.S. and Canada is that the Russian warships pose no threat to the region. Russia has also characterized the arrival of its warships in Cuba as routine.

Russian nuclear submarine enters the Bay of Havana, June 12, 2024

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This article was published in

Volume 54 Number 6 - June 2024

Article Link:
https://cpcml.ca/Tmlm2024/Articles/M5400616.HTM

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