Ukraine-Russia War: Russian President Vladimir Putin is evoking the Cuban Missile Crisis memory by moving “nuclear-capable” warships to Havana to provoke the United States, a think tank has warned.
According to Cuban and US officials, Four Russian warships will make a port call in Havana between June 12 and 17 before stopping in Venezuela later in the month.
The Admiral Gorshkov frigate, the nuclear-powered cruise missile submarine Kazan, the Academic Pashin replenishment oiler and the rescue tug Nikolai Chiker will be part of the visit, according to the US think tank Institute for the Study of War.
Admiral Gorshkov can carry Zircon hypersonic missiles, which the Kremlin touts as capable of carrying nuclear warheads. There is no indication that the ship will be equipped with nuclear weapons during the visit.
In 1962, former Russian Prime Minister Nikita Khrushchev transferred nuclear missiles to Havana, sparking an intense conflict between Moscow and Washington.
Meanwhile, Putin has threatened retaliation against Western countries that allow Ukraine to attack Russia with their long-range missiles.
Ukraine Russia War: ‘22 Killed in Ukrainian Shelling’
Ukraine’s southern Kherson region’s Russian-appointed governor accused Ukrainian forces of killing 22 people and wounding 15 others during the shelling of the small town of Sadove.
Governor Vladimir Saldo said Ukrainian forces attacked the area for a second time today, using a US-supplied HIMARS missile to cause as many casualties as possible.
Another Russian-appointed governor of Luhansk, Leonid Pasechnik, said three people were killed and 35 wounded in a Ukrainian attack. Luhansk is an occupied region in northeastern Ukraine.
Russian Defence Ministry said Ukrainian forces had used US-supplied ATACMS missiles in the attack on the city of Luhansk.
Ukrainian forces used US-supplied ATACMS missiles in the attack on the city of Luhansk, the Russian Defence Ministry said.