Long lines to visit Russian warship in the port of Havana

The arrival of a Russian war fleet in Havana has generated great interest among Cubans, who are lining up to visit the modern frigate Admiral Gorshkov.

Residents and foreign tourists are waiting early in order to board the ship, an option being offered by the Moscow embassy on the island, which ends this Saturday at 4:00 pm.

The Spanish newspaper El País spoke with several people who were excitedly waiting their turn to board the impressive ship.

"This is a very beautiful thing, one rarely has the opportunity to see it like this," Josefina Álvarez stated.

"The expectation is to be able to get to know them up close, both the crew members and the ships in which they come," said Ariel Vera.

Dozens of Cubans line up to board the ship, which arrived at the port of Havana on June 12 alongside the nuclear-powered submarine Kazan, the salvage tugboat Nikolai Chiker (SB-131), and the tanker ship from the Pashin fleet.

The visit, which will last until June 17, has generated great expectation on the island. For Cubans, immersed in the worst economic crisis of recent decades, it is a unique experience, and they come eagerly to admire the ships and take photos and videos with the Russian sailors who come ashore.

The United States Department of Defense stated that the presence of a Russian naval detachment in Cuban waters does not pose a direct threat to the United States.

Lieutenant Colonel Devin Robinson explained that these visits are part of routine Russian military exercises - intensified after the Ukraine war - and that an increase in Russian naval and air activity near the United States is expected this summer, culminating in a global naval exercise in the fall.

However, hours before the arrival, the United States government deployed several warships (two destroyers and a Coast Guard vessel) and an underwater reconnaissance aircraft to track the course of the Russian flotilla.

Jesus Daniel Romero, a retired corvette captain from the United States Navy Intelligence, described as "worrisome" the naval war deployment by Russia just 90 miles off the American coast.

In the same vein, Cuban-American Senator Marco Rubio urged President Joe Biden not to sit idly by and pointed out that there has not been a Russian submarine with nuclear-capable missiles operating in the Caribbean for over 30 years.