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The US Navy has confirmed that a nuclear-powered submarine has arrived at Guantánamo Bay, Cuba, for a “routine visit” as Russian warships are still in the area.
The USS Helena, a nuclear-powered fast attack submarine, reached the waters near the US base on Thursday, according to a statement from US Southern Command (Southcom). This deployment follows the arrival of a fleet of Russian warships and a submarine at the island on Wednesday, ahead of planned military exercises.
Southcom emphasized that the stop is “part of a routine port visit” as the submarine transits through the region, stating that the vessel’s location and transit were “previously planned.” Meanwhile, the Russian fleet, including the nuclear-powered submarine Kazan, the frigate Gorshkov, the fleet oil tanker Pashin, and the rescue tug Nikolay Chiker, is expected to remain in Cuba through the weekend before conducting air and naval exercises in the Caribbean. These drills are perceived as a “demonstration of force” amid heightened tensions over Western aid to Ukraine.
In response, the US Navy has deployed several ships to shadow the Russian vessels. This includes two Navy destroyers and two ships towing sonar equipment to track the submarine, along with another destroyer, a Coast Guard cutter, and P-8 maritime patrol aircraft. Pentagon deputy press secretary Sabrina Singh addressed the situation, stating, “We’ve been tracking the Russians’ plans for this. This is not a surprise. We’ve seen them do this, these type of port calls before.” She reassured that while the drills are taken seriously, they “don’t pose a threat to the United States.”
The Russian exercises come shortly after President Biden permitted Ukraine to use US-provided weapons for strikes inside Russia near the border, aimed at protecting Kharkiv, Ukraine’s second-largest city. Singh noted it “wouldn’t come as a surprise” to see more Russian activity near the United States. Additionally, the US military anticipates that the Kremlin vessels could make a stop in Venezuela, another ally of Moscow, and might remain in the region throughout the summer.
