MercoPress. South Atlantic News Agency

Russian fleet deployed to Caribbean Sea

Russian propaganda often dubs the Admiral Gorshkov “the invisible frigate”

A Russian nuclear submarine and three other warships will be participating alongside Cuban forces in a drill in the Caribbean Sea between June 12 and 17 to further deepen the friendly ties between the two countries, according to Havanna's Foreign Ministry.

The “visit corresponds to the historic friendly relations between Cuba and the Russian Federation and strictly adheres to international regulations,” the diplomatic office said. “None of the vessels is a carrier of nuclear weapons, so their stopover in our country does not represent a threat to the region,” it went on. The vessels making up the Russian fleet are the frigate Gorshkov, the nuclear-powered submarine Kazan, the fleet tanker Pashin, and the salvage tug Nikolai Chiker. These modern and technologically up-to-date vessels were launched between 2017 and 2019 and have participated in various military exercises around the world.

The Admiral Gorshkov frigate is the lead ship of the most modern group of Russian frigates that stands out for having 'stealth' technology in their construction, which makes them more difficult to track by conventional methods such as radar, visual, sonar and infrared, which is why the Kremlin's propaganda media often call it “the invisible frigate.” Construction of this type of frigate is carried out in the Russian city of St. Petersburg, where another 10 units are expected to be delivered by 2027.

As per The Miami Herald, it will be the first Russian-coordinated air and maritime exercise in the Western Hemisphere in five years. In 2019 some Russian ships were also in Havana.

The Kazan submarine belongs to the second generation of the Yasen-type nuclear-powered class. It can carry land-attack cruise missiles and also anti-ship and anti-submarine missiles if needed. Although the original Yasen technology dates back to the Soviet era, the current design is smaller and less expensive to build. It features a nuclear reactor with a more modern and, presumably, more reliable cooling system.

The Nikolai Chiker is a salvage vessel, or wreck tug, designed specifically to rescue ships that are in danger of sinking, or have already sunk or run aground, while the tanker's presence is presumably necessary to supply fuel and lubricants to the other vessels on the long round trips from Russia to the Caribbean Sea.