Russia’s Admiral Gorshkov frigate and the nuclear-powered submarine Kazan, along with a tugboat and a fuel ship, have docked in Cuba for a five-day visit, marking a display of power by Moscow amid increasing tension due to its invasion of Ukraine.

Curious spectators, including fishermen and police, assembled along the Malecon seafront boulevard in Havana to greet the fleet as it sailed into the city’s harbor on Wednesday.

Cuba, a long-time ally of Russia, honored the vessels' arrival with a 21-gun salute, while Russian diplomats waved small Russian flags and took selfies with the harbor’s historic fortresses in the background.

The four Russian ships practiced “high-precision missile weapons” drills in the Atlantic Ocean during their journey to Cuba. According to the Russian Ministry of Defense, the submarine and frigate are furnished with Zircon hypersonic missiles, Kalibr cruise missiles, and Onyx antiship missiles.

The rare deployment of the Russian navy so close to the United States occurs after Washington and some of Ukraine’s other Western allies allowed Kyiv to target inside Russia amid renewed Russian assaults in northeastern Kharkiv and shortages of troops and ammunition.

Havana is situated just 160 kilometers (100 miles) from Key West in southern Florida, where the US maintains a naval air station.

“The naval presence serves as a reminder to Washington that interference in an adversary’s nearby territory is not appreciated,” commented Benjamin Gedan, director of the Latin America program at the Washington, DC-based Wilson Center think tank, to The Associated Press news agency, alluding to the Western involvement in Russia’s conflict in Ukraine.

“It also signals to Russia’s allies in the region, including US adversaries Cuba and Venezuela, that Moscow stands with them,” he added.

Cuba stated that the visit is routine for naval vessels from countries friendly to Havana and assured that the fleet does not carry nuclear weapons.

The US, which has been monitoring the vessels, has also downplayed the deployment.

White House National Security Adviser Jake Sullivan remarked on Wednesday that such naval exercises were customary.

“We have encountered this kind of activity before, and we anticipate its recurrence, and I’m not going to interpret any specific intentions,” Sullivan stated.

He further mentioned that there was no indication of Russia transporting any missiles to Cuba, but the US remains vigilant.

‘Not October 1962’

The port call coincided with a meeting in Moscow between Cuba’s Foreign Minister Bruno Rodriguez and his Russian counterpart Sergey Lavrov.

During the meeting, Rodriguez denounced the expansion of the North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO) towards Russia's border, which he blamed for the current conflict in Europe, especially between Moscow and Kyiv, as per a Cuban Ministry of Foreign Affairs statement.

He also advocated for “a diplomatic, constructive, and realistic solution” to the conflict.

During the Cold War, Cuba was a key ally of the Soviet Union, and when Moscow retaliated against a US missile deployment in Turkey by sending ballistic missiles to Cuba, it nearly led to nuclear war.

Although the Soviet Union disbanded, Cuba has retained its ties with Russia, and the two nations have grown closer since a 2022 meeting between Cuban President Miguel Diaz-Canel and Russian President Vladimir Putin.

For Havana, the alliance is largely driven by economic necessity, as it grapples with critical shortages, from food and medicine to fuel. The US has upheld an economic and trade embargo on Cuba since 1960.

“This is not a repeat of October 1962,” Javier Farje, an expert on Latin American politics, told Al Jazeera. “This era is different. Cuba has increasingly relied on Russia due to the lack of economic development.”

In March, Russia supplied Cuba with 90,000 metric tons of oil to mitigate shortages and has pledged to assist Havana in areas like sugar production, infrastructure, renewable energy, and tourism.

The Russian ships are expected to remain in Havana until June 17. US officials believe the Russian fleet will stay in the region throughout the summer, potentially making a stop in Venezuela.