Russian warships conducted exercises in the Atlantic on their way to Cuba. New hypersonic missiles on board

Russian warships, the Russian military said on Tuesday, conducted exercises in the Atlantic on their way to visit Cuba, UNN reports citing AP.

Details

The Russian Defense Ministry reported that the Admiral Gorshkov frigate and the Kazan nuclear submarine conducted exercises aimed at simulating a missile attack on a group of enemy ships.

The Russian ministry said that the exercise included a computer simulation of an attack on maritime targets at a distance of more than 600 kilometers.

"The ‘Admiral Gorshkov’, the publication notes, is armed with new hypersonic Zircon missiles. The weapon is designed to arm Russian cruisers, frigates and submarines and can be used against enemy ships as well as against land targets.

Russian President Vladimir Putin has touted the Zircon as a powerful weapon capable of overcoming any existing missile defense, flying nine times faster than the speed of sound at a range of more than 1,000 kilometers.

"The Admiral Gorshkov and Kazan are being accompanied by two support vessels during their visit to Havana, which Cuban officials say reflects the ‘historically friendly relations’ between Russia and Cuba.

The Cuban Ministry of Foreign Affairs announced that Russian warships will be in Havana from Wednesday to June 17, noting that none of them will carry nuclear weapons and assuring that their presence "does not pose a threat to the region.

Cuba's announcement follows a U.S. statement that Washington is tracking Russian warships and aircraft expected to arrive in the Caribbean for military exercises.

Addendum

This is not the first time Russia has sent warships to the Caribbean, but this week's visit follows Putin's warning that Moscow could respond to Ukraine's Western allies allowing Kyiv to use its weapons to strike targets in Russia by providing similar weapons to Western adversaries around the world, the newspaper notes.