Defying the U.S., the Russian Navy will deploy one of its modern Yasen-M nuclear submarines in the Caribbean Sea

The presence of the nuclear-powered submarine, along with a frigate and two support vessels, is part of an upcoming visit to the port of Havana aimed at strengthening the friendship between Cuba and the Russian Federation.

As tension in Europe increases due to the escalation of the Russo-Ukrainian conflict, the Russian Navy will deploy a flotilla in the Caribbean Sea in the coming days as part of an official visit to Cuba; which can be seen as a challenge to the United States government. The information released by the Cuban government yesterday, June 6, gains relevance as this flotilla is led by the nuclear-powered attack submarine Kazan (K-561), accompanied by the missile frigate Admiral Gorshkov and support vessels.

According to the Cuban government, the Russian Navy ships will make an official visit to the port of Havana between June 12 and 17. Among the reasons officially stated are: “the historic friendship relations between Cuba and the Russian Federation and strictly adheres to international regulations of which Cuba is a party. None of the ships carry nuclear weapons, so their stopover in our country does not pose a threat to the region.” However, Cuban authorities did not indicate that the Russian ships will engage in joint exercises with the Revolutionary Navy.

While further details were not provided, the mention that the visiting Russian ships are not equipped with nuclear weapons echoes past events such as the Cuban Missile Crisis, where the presence of such weapons in Cuba sparked a crisis between the United States and the then Soviet Union.

The mention of nuclear issues refers to the presence of the Kazan (K-561) nuclear-powered attack submarine, the second unit of the Yasen-M class, one of the most modern in service with the Russian Navy. Conceived as part of the Russian Armed Forces’ strategic renewal projects, their design was based on experiences gained with ships from the Soviet era, such as the Akula and Alfa classes. With a displacement of 8,600 tons, these submarines are equipped with vertical launchers compatible with the Kalibr and Oniks anti-surface missiles. They also have 10 533mm torpedo tubes.

In addition to the Kazan, the flotilla consists of the Admiral Gorshkov missile frigate, the lead ship of its namesake class, and one of the most advanced surface vessels in the Russian Navy. With a displacement of approximately 4,500 tons, the Admiral Gorshkov-class frigates employ various weapons against surface targets, including Kalibr-NK and Oniks cruise missiles. One of their main capabilities is the ability to conduct anti-surface attacks using the hypersonic 3M22 Zircon missiles. Lastly, the flotilla is accompanied on its journey to Cuba by the Pashin tanker and the Nikolai Chiker salvage tug.

*Photographs used for illustrative purposes.

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