Russia will hold naval exercises in the Caribbean this summer with possible port stops in Cuba and Venezuela, US officials revealed, in what Moscow describes as a show of force as tensions rise over Western military support for Ukraine.
A senior official said the United States has been tracking Russian warships and aircraft and they are expected to arrive in the region in the coming weeks, ahead of a “global” naval exercise by Vladimir Putin’s forces in the fall.
The upcoming exercise, which will be overseen by the U.S. military, will involve a “handful” of Russian ships and support vessels, two officials said.
They added that the exercises are “certainly” part of a broader Russian response to US support for Ukraine, but are also an effort by Putin to demonstrate that his navy is still capable of projecting global power after losing several ships in attacks. Ukrainians.
It comes after Vladimir Putin warned that Moscow could take “asymmetric measures” in other parts of the world in response to the President Joe Biden’s decision allow Ukraine to use US-provided weapons to attack inside Russia and protect Kharkiv.
File photo shows Russian warships sailing on the Neva River during the Navy Day parade in St. Petersburg on July 30, 2023.
Russian navy cadets attend the annual military parade dedicated to Victory Day celebrations last month.
Vladimir Putin warned that Moscow could take “asymmetric measures” in other parts of the world
Tensions between the United States and Russia have simmered since Russia’s invasion of Ukraine in 2022, and have increased following the US move, which Ukraine has repeatedly called for in recent months.
“This is about Russia showing that it is still capable of some level of global power projection,” a US official said when the news was revealed to reporters.
Relevant lawmakers at the Capitol discussed Thursday’s activity, they added.
‘As part of Russia’s regular military exercises, we anticipate that Russia will conduct increased naval and air activity near the United States this summer.
“These actions will culminate in a global Russian naval exercise this fall,” the anonymous official said.
The deployments are considered part of routine naval activity, and while officials admitted they are “notable,” they also insisted they are “not concerned about Russia’s deployments, which do not pose a direct threat to the United States.”
The Biden administration did not view the deployment with alarm, as Russia previously sent ships to the Western Hemisphere annually between 2013 and 2020.
“We should expect more of this activity in the future, although we note that these deployments come at a cost to the Russian Navy, which is struggling to remain ready and deploy with an aging fleet,” the official said.
Ukrainian military officials said in March that Russia had lost a third of its Black Sea fleet to Ukrainian attacks over the past two years of war.
The images show the first known use of US-supplied HIMARS missiles by Ukraine, hitting a key military target inside Russia.
The site of a Russian air defense system in Belgorod appears in flames following what is believed to have been a HIMARS attack.
Russia did not notify the United States about its pending exercise, but the U.S. Navy has tracked the ships’ movements, officials said.
Even though Russia did not notify the United States, which countries typically do to avoid miscalculations, officials said militaries around the world have the right to conduct exercises in international waters and do so regularly.
For example, on Friday about 20 NATO countries, including the United States, will begin BALTOPS 24, a major naval and air exercise in the Baltic region near Russia.
Officials said they expect Russian ships to remain in the region through the summer and will likely conduct similar follow-up exercises in the Caribbean once the summer concludes.
comes as Putin has openly acknowledged the “possibility” of “a full-scale Third World War,” with the dictator threatening “fatal consequences‘ for Western allies allowing Ukraine to use its weapons on Russian soil.
Ukraine’s challenge to repel the Russian invasion has prompted European leaders to take a tougher stance toward Moscow as the war moves into its third year, with moves to send troops east and record defense investments.