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Russia will hold naval exercises in the Caribbean this summer, with stops in Cuba and Venezuela, as tensions rise with the US over Ukraine
Russia will hold naval exercises the Caribbean this summer with potential port calls in Cuba and in Venezuela, US officials have revealed, in what is being described as a show of force by Moscow as tensions rise over Western military support for Ukraine.
A senior official said that the US has been tracking Russian warships and aircraft and that 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 autumn.
The upcoming exercise, which will be monitored by the US military, will involve a 'handful' of Russian ships and support vessels, two officials said.
They added that the drills are 'certainly' part of a broader Russian response to the US support for Ukraine, but it also is an effort by Putin to show his navy is still capable of global power projection after losing several ships to Ukrainian strikes.
It comes after Vladimir Putin warned that Moscow could take 'asymmetrical steps' elsewhere in the world in response to President Joe Biden's decision to allow Ukraine to use US-provided weapons to strike inside Russia to protect Kharkiv.
File image shows Russian warships sailing on the Neva river during the Navy Day parade in Saint Petersburg on July 30, 2023
Russian navy cadets attend the annual military parade dedicated to the Victory Day celebrations last month
Vladimir Putin has warned Moscow could take 'asymmetrical steps' elsewhere in the world
Tensions between the US and Russia have simmered since Russia's 2022 invasion of Ukraine, and have heightened following the move by the US, which Ukraine has been called for repeatedly over recent months.
'This is about Russia showing that it's still capable of some level of global power projection,' a US official said as the news was revealed to reporters.
Relevant lawmakers on Capitol Hill about the activity on Thursday, they added.
'As part of Russia´s regular military exercises, we anticipate that this summer, Russia will conduct heightened naval and air activity near the United States.
'These actions will culminate in a global Russian naval exercise this fall,' the unnamed official said.
The deployments are seen as part of routine naval activity, and while officials admitted they are 'notable' they also insisted that they are 'are not concerned by Russia's deployments, which pose no direct threat to the United States.'
The Biden administration did not view the deployment with alarm since Russia has previously sailed ships into the Western Hemisphere yearly from 2013 to 2020.
'We should expect more of this activity going forward, although we note these deployments incur a cost on the Russian Navy, which is struggling to maintain readiness and conduct deployments with an aged fleet,' the official said.
Ukrainian military officials said in March that Russia had lost one-third of its Black Sea fleet to Ukrainian strikes during the past two years of war.
Footage shows the first known use of US-supplied HIMARS missiles by Ukraine hitting a key military target inside Russia
The site of a Russian air defence system in Belgorod is pictured on fire following what is thought to have been a HIMARS strike
Russia did not notify the US of its pending exercise, but the ships' movements have been tracked by the US Navy, the officials said.
Despite Russia not notifying the US - which countries often do to avoid miscalculation - the officials said militaries all over the globe have the right to conduct exercises in international waters and do so regularly.
For example, on Friday about 20 NATO countries including the US will begin BALTOPS 24, a major naval and air exercise in the Baltic region near Russia.
The officials said they expect the Russian ships will remain in the region through the summer and will likely conduct similar, follow-up exercises in the Caribbean after this one concludes.
It 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 use of their weapons on Russian soil.
Ukraine's challenge in repelling the Russian invasion has moved European leaders to take a harder stance on Moscow as the war rages on into its third year, with moves to send troops east and record investments into defence.