Russian spy ship docked in Havana

Havana (AFP) - A Russian warship was docked in Havana Wednesday, without explanation from Communist Cuba or its state media.

Neither Cuban authorities nor state media have mentioned the ship's visit, unlike on previous tours by Russian warships. The ship is reportedly armed with 30mm guns and anti-aircraft missiles.

Russian spy ship docked in Havana

I honestly didn't know Russia still docked, announced or not, down in Cuba. Wonder if this ship (or others that werent reported) had any warheads on board for transfer.

Wild times we live in. All this with US MArines being deployed to Kiev to protect embassy and Russian troops in Ukraines southern naval base.

reply to post by CALGARIAN


Just another visible presence to send a message we in the public can't understand. A part of a long (concealed) period in a cold war that has never really ended.

With our current lack of leadership in the USA we may be approaching a time of real crisis again, a crisis that could rival the Cuban missile crisis.

The Russians will probe and test every weakness, and where intimidation is effective they will push this administration into concessions to their advantage. They already have. IMO

Dangerous times directly ahead.

Again...

We should stop calling this the cold war. Let's just call it the Hot War.

That is an old piece of tech. I would guess they are either going to help the gov in Venezuela keep and ear on the opposition or they are just going to give it the Cubans.

ausername
reply to post by CALGARIAN

 

Just another visible presence to send a message we in the public can't understand. A part of a long (concealed) period in a cold war that has never really ended.

With our current lack of leadership in the USA we may be approaching a time of real crisis again, a crisis that could rival the Cuban missile crisis.

The Russians will probe and test every weakness, and where intimidation is effective they will push this administration into concessions to their advantage. They already have. IMO

Dangerous times directly ahead.

Again...

Maybe we should invade Cuba to find out what it is doing there. Do we make public announcements about every ship we have when it docks at another port and what we are doing there? If we don't do this then why should we expect other countries to do it when their allies ship arrives.

Where has Russia pushed this administration into concessions? Are you talking about Syria? So you wanted America to invade yet another country that did nothing to America.

Probably a message. Russian military presence in Cuba has a very clear and not-too-subtle symbolism to it. I'd say it's just Russia flexing its superpower muscles for show.

Just another visible presence to send a message we in the public can't understand. A part of a long (concealed) period in a cold war that has never really ended.

reply to post by ausername


Cold war was the issue of ideology. When Russians realized that their choice was wrong they ditched it. However, west did not help in that. Instead it ratcheted more pressure of all sorts and went on 'Hot War' against the allies of former USSR........Iraq, Libya, Syria and many more.

Cold war was only a 70 year old chapter in the big book of 300+ year old 'geopolitical rivalry' between the AngloSaxon powers and Russians.

In its 1000 year history, Russia has not attacked other countries (might have been 1-2 exceptions). However, to poke nose in the affairs of others is the "Main" trait of the AngloSaxons. There is another power which likes to poke its nose into other's affairs. That power is the Islamic nations or beliefs. They want whole world to become Green and are willing to commit heinous crimes to achieve that goal.

This 'indulging' trait of two major blocks has to change to long term global peace. Hopefully this can be achieved with little loss of progress i.e. without much destruction. After WWII, FDR said "Never Again". Hope his words hold true.

reply to post by buster2010


You can run with whatever assumptions you make and like best. Ultimately it doesn't matter what you or I think about any of this.

It is what it is.

There are a lot of things going on here, and an old Russian military flagged ship in Cuba is way, way down on the list at this point.

It's probably better that the public remain in the dark for as long as possible...

Hey, just another opinion here. Like it or not.

Here it comes!

This news bodes well for the Preppers, Religious Zealots and the Doom Porners... all their preparedness is about to pay off, big time. I Hope everyone else is taking notes

He seems to be making a tour of the Caribbean. Here he is in Curacao. Link

Pretty old ship, maybe he is making a last farewell tour of old stomping grounds before de-commissioning?

From the comments section:

Hamster
5 hours ago
Probably here to watch and listen in on the upcoming launch of the NROL-67 and NROL-33 from the Cape.

MrSpad
That is an old piece of tech. I would guess they are either going to help the gov in Venezuela keep and ear on the opposition or they are just going to give it the Cubans.

Yeah this stuff is ancient. Probably nothing to worry about here... Unless...it's been refitted with particle beam weaponry and NANO armor painted over to look rusty... Nah... that's crazy talk lol.

This looks like: "If Ukraine take Sebastopol, Cuba take Guantanamo"...
It works.

Montana
He seems to be making a tour of the Caribbean. Here he is in Curacao. Link

Pretty old ship, maybe he is making a last farewell tour of old stomping grounds before de-commissioning?

edit on 2/26/2014 by Montana because: (no reason given)

I was expecting something worthy of at least a shudder of uneasiness upon clicking the link, but damn, what a bucket of rusted bolts that is. I'd hate to see what would happen if people in this thread saw a Russian in a canoe. "ZOMG, they're gonna bomb us from it! ATTACK!"

Seriously, that sucker looks ragged enough to be lucky to be afloat as it is.

reply to post by Jordan River


Better yet, let's start calling it what it actually is? A pointless phallus waving exercise, which has only become more aggressive and vulgar since we were apes, not less.

reply to post by CALGARIAN


From the looks of that ship Russia might want to upgrade a little bit. It looks like something from ww2 or earlier. But maybe they are just trying to hide all that secret high tech stuff in a shabby looking ship to keep people looking the other way?

reply to post by CALGARIAN


I think this might be ONE of the reasons.

RiaNovosti reports defense minister Sergei Shoigu saying Russia plans "to expand permanent military presence outside its borders by placing military bases in a number of foreign countries," including Vietnam, Cuba, Venezuela, Nicaragua, the Seychelles, and Singapore. "The talks are under way, and we are close to signing the relevant documents," Shoigu told reporters in Moscow.

Via RiaNovosti,

Russia is planning to expand its permanent military presence outside its borders by placing military bases in a number of foreign countries, Defense Minister Sergei Shoigu said Wednesday.

Shoigu said the list includes Vietnam, Cuba, Venezuela, Nicaragua, the Seychelles, Singapore and several other countries.

“The talks are under way, and we are close to signing the relevant documents,” Shoigu told reporters in Moscow.

The minister added that the negotiations cover not only military bases but also visits to ports in such countries on favorable conditions as well as the opening of refueling sites for Russian strategic bombers on patrol.

Moscow currently has only one naval base outside the former Soviet Union – in Tartus, Syria, but the fate of this naval facility is uncertain because of the ongoing civil war in that country.

Post-Soviet Russia closed a large naval base in Vietnam and a radar base in Cuba in 2002 due to financial constraints.

However, Russia has started reviving its navy and strategic aviation since mid-2000s, seeing them as a tool to project the Russian image abroad and to protect its national interests around the globe.

Now, Moscow needs to place such military assets in strategically important regions of the world to make them work effectively toward the goal of expanding Russia’s global influence.

Source Zerohedge

And this one
en.ria.ru...

Nyiah
I was expecting something worthy of at least a shudder of uneasiness upon clicking the link, but damn, what a bucket of rusted bolts that is.

Its not there to fight, its there to listen.
I bet ya its solid as **** and full of high tech surveillance gadgets.

The sub of the coast on the other hand...

Russians have one ship in Havana, well we have a naval base in Cuba, its call Guantanamo bay. Enough, stop poking the Bear!

Would love to know if there were more lurking about, but with all the military cuts it looks like we will have to wait and depend on the locals' surrounding us. Nice of them to take a pic.