EuropeWorld US expecting Russian naval exercises in Caribbean this summer by Barbados Today 06/06/2024 written by Barbados Today 06/06/2024 2 min read A+A- Reset Russian minesweeper Pavel Khenov, missile corvettes Uglich and Sovetsk sail along the Neva River during the annual Navy Day parade in Saint Petersburg, Russia, July 30, 2023. REUTERS/Anton Vaganov/File Photo Share FacebookTwitterLinkedinWhatsappEmail 1.2K Russia plans to send combat vessels into the Caribbean region this summer as part of naval exercises that will likely include port calls in Cuba and possibly stops in Venezuela, a senior U.S. official said on Wednesday. The United States does not see the move involving a relatively small number of vessels and planes as threatening, but the U.S. Navy will monitor the exercises, the official told a small group of reporters. Tensions between the United States and Russia have increased since Russia’s 2022ย invasion of Ukraine. The official said Russian naval activity had ratcheted up because of U.S. support for Ukraine. “This is about Russia showing that it’s still capable of some level of global power projection,” the official said. U.S. officials briefed relevant lawmakers on Capitol Hill about the activity on Thursday, the official said. “As part of Russiaโs 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 official said. The deployments are seen as part ofย routine naval activityย and “we are not concerned by Russia’s deployments, which pose no direct threat to the United States,” the official said. “We are expecting that Russia will temporarily send combat naval vessels to the Caribbean region and these ships will likely conduct port calls in Cuba and possibly Venezuela. There may also be some aircraft deployments or flights in the region,” he said. The Biden administrationย did not view the deployment with alarm since Russia had sailed ships into the Western Hemisphere yearly from 2013 to 2020, the official said. “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. Source: Reuters Barbados Today Stay informed and engaged with our digital news platform. The leading online multimedia news resource in Barbados for news you can trust. You may also like Brace for tougher times as Mideast war threatens global economy – economistย 02/03/2026 War powers debate intensifies in US after Trump orders Iran attack 28/02/2026 US congressman threatens ‘consequences’ against Jamaica for PM’s Cuba statement 28/02/2026
