As announced, three Russian ships from the Baltic Fleet arrived in the Bay of Havana on the morning of this Saturday.
With little coverage in official media so far - a stark contrast to the fanfare that greeted another Russian flotilla in June - the arrival of the vessels was documented by the Russian Embassy in Cuba on platform X with a brief video.
"The training ship 'Smolniy' enters the bay of Havana, part of the group of the Baltic Fleet that is making a friendly visit to the Cuban capital. Another demonstration of the warm relations between our peoples," wrote the diplomatic mission alongside the images.
"The naval detachment of the Baltic Fleet is received with 21 artillery salutes as a sign that our weapons are unloaded for the warships of friendly countries of the Cuban Revolution," wrote Julio Antonio Fernández Díaz, Head of Customs at the Port of Havana, on X.
Apart from the Embassy and the brief tweet from Fernández Díaz, so far only the independent portal 14ymedio has documented the arrival with images.
So far, neither the MINFAR, nor Cubadebate, nor the Cuban News Agency, nor Granma have commented on the arrival of the vessels or shared images.
Focused on praising the failed act of July 26 and the Paris Olympics, which were inaugurated this Friday, the official media chose not to publicize the arrival of the Russian vessels.
The training ship Smolny, the first to enter the Bay around 8:30 a.m., fired several salutes.
Minutes later, the patrol ship Neustrahimiy arrived, displaying a helmet full of patches and dents. In third place came the tanker Yelnya.
The Russian press, however, reported that the Neustrashimy-class frigate that arrived in Havana "is armed with nuclear anti-submarine weapons and a missile system."
The three ships will be in Cuba until July 30, after their sailors complete a "program" of which little information has leaked so far.
It was on Wednesday that the Ministry of the Revolutionary Armed Forces (MINFAR) announced that several ships from the Baltic fleet of Russia would arrive at the Bay of Havana, less than two months after the visit of Russian combat vessels to Cuba, including a submarine.
"The visits of naval units from other countries is a historical practice of the revolutionary Government with nations with which we maintain relations of friendship and collaboration," the MINFAR text indicated, adding -without giving details- that the Russian sailors will follow a program of activities that includes courtesy visits to the Chief of the Revolutionary Navy, the Governor of the capital, as well as a tour of places of historical and cultural interest.
Additionally, the MINFAR specified that the public will be able to visit the training ship "Smólniy" on Sunday the 28th from 12:00 p.m. to 4:00 p.m., and on Monday the 29th from 12:00 p.m. to 6:00 p.m.
The Russian presence in Cuban territorial waters occurs just weeks after the stay of the frigate "Gorshkov," the nuclear-powered submarine "Kazan," the fleet oil tanker "Pashin," and the salvage tug "Nikolai Chiker."
On that occasion, the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of the island stated in a communiqué that the visit was in line "with the historical friendly relations between Cuba and the Russian Federation," and that it strictly adhered "to the international regulations of which Cuba is a party."
At all times, the United States government was aware of the vessels, which sparked great interest among Cubans and foreign tourists who had the opportunity to tour the modern frigate Admiral "Gorshkov."
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