Russian warships and a nuclear powered submarine en route to
Cuba performed military drills in the Atlantic.
Not to worry though, it's an expected show of force
from Moscow amid its war in Ukraine.
Russia's Ministry of Defense says the Admiral Gorshkov frigate and
Kazan nuclear powered submarine performed simulated missile strikes on targets
hundreds of miles away.
The Admiral Gorshkov previously deployed with Zircon hypersonic missiles.
But not this time. The Russian strike group is now
docked in Cuba,
just 100 miles South of Floridas Key West,
where it's expected to perform more naval drills.
The exercises are the first Russian joint air and naval
maneuvers in the Caribbean since 2019.
Cuba says the visits are common practice for countries friendly
with Havana,
adding the Russian ships carry no nuclear weapons and present
no threat to the region.
The White House called the drills a clear representation of
Moscow's displeasure with US support of Ukraine.
But no one in the Biden administration is sounding the
alarm with the military posturing either,
saying we don't expect any imminent threat or any threat
at all to our national security.
Russias worldwide power projection tour is expected to continue into
the summer with a global Russian naval exercise this fall.
While it was expected, the US is still closely monitoring
the Russian activity.
Half a dozen P8A Poseidon's also called submarine hunters.
On the Russian flotilla as it sailed past the East
Coast,
two American destroyers and some accompanying ships shadowed the Russian
submarine.
Another U.S. Navy destroyer and a U.S.
Coast Guard cutter followed the three Russian surface vessels.
The Russian fleet sailing through Western waters did create a
stir for some vacationers.
Cruise ship passengers snapped pics of the warships and submarine
just 90 miles off the US coast.
Russian drills are taking place at the same time as
NATO nations are conducting Ball Tops 2024,
an exercise hailed as the premier amphibious and naval maneuver
drill in the Baltics.
New NATO member Sweden is also taking part in the
53rd iteration of the enormous drills.
For more on Russia's military posturing and the war in
Ukraine,
head on over to san.com or download our Straight Arrow
News app.
For Straight Arrow News, I'm Ryan Robertson.