The naval detachment is made up of the frigate Gorshkov, the nuclear-powered submarine Kazan, the fleet oil tanker Pashin and the salvage tug Nikolai Chiker.

Upon arrival in the capital, one of the ships of the group fired 21 salvoes in salute to Cuba, which were reciprocated by an artillery battery of the Revolutionary Armed Forces (FAR), from the San Carlos de la Cabaña Fortress.

The detachment of Russian ships was received by the second chief of the Revolutionary Navy, flotilla captain José Luis Souto, together with the Russian ambassador to the island, Viktor Koronelli.

Common citizens can visit the ships from tomorrow on till Saturday.

During their stay, the Russian seamen will carry out an extensive programme of activities, including courtesy meetings with the head of the Revolutionary Navy and the governor of Havana, Yanet Hernández.

They will also visit places of historical and cultural interest.

The visits of naval units from other countries is a historical practice of the revolutionary government with the nations with which it maintains relations of friendship and cooperation, said a statement from the FAR.

None of the vessels is a nuclear-weapon carrier, so their stopover in our country does not represent a threat to the region, the FAR stressed.

According to the notification, the visit ‘corresponds to the historical relations of friendship between Cuba and Russia’, in addition to complying ‘with the international regulations to which Cuba is a State Party’. The Royal Canadian Navy patrol vessel HMCS Margaret Brooke and the Venezuelan training ship AB Simón Bolívar will also dock in Cuba from the 14th to the 19th.

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