A Russian naval team has arrived in Cuba to carry out exercises in the Caribbean Sea, attracting the attention of the United States and its allies. The Los Angeles-class nuclear-powered submarine, USS Helena, has indeed arrived at Guantanamo, signaling a strategic presence in the region. US Southern Command said the submarine made a “routine port visit” on Thursday, June 14, during its transit through the area. But the arrival of the USS Helena is also seen as a show of force in response to the Russian move.
Pentagon spokeswoman Sabrina Singh downplayed the significance of the Russian exercises, saying they did not pose a direct threat to the United States. The Russian initiative, with warships and a nuclear-powered submarine, comes just two weeks after President Joe Biden authorized Kiev’s use of American weapons for attacks on Russian territory, significantly raising tensions between Washington and Moscow. The Kremlin, by moving its ships close to the US coasts, wanted to demonstrate that it can still project its power on a global scale and that it has allies such as Cuba and Venezuela in the Atlantic region. Washington responded promptly, demonstrating its ability to monitor and react to such movements.
In this scenario, submarines play a crucial role. They represent a fundamental element in the “second strike” doctrine, ensuring the ability to respond to a nuclear attack. The USS Helena, with its 12 Tomahawk missile launch tubes, and the Kazan, a Russian Yasen-class submarine with 63 cruise missiles, including hypersonic Zircons, are symbols of this deterrence capability. A possible all-out conflict between the United States and Russia would see these submarines as key tools for long-distance attacks. Tomahawk missiles, with a range of 2,500 kilometers, could hit Moscow from a submarine in the Adriatic, demonstrating the global reach of these weapons. We are once again in the midst of the Cold War.
