Images of Vladimir Putin’s nuclear submarine in Cuba are causing confusion

Vladimir Putin sends a Russian fleet to the US doorstep in Cuba. Photos of the nuclear submarine are raising questions on social media.

HAVANA – The combination of Cuba and Moscow and the United States once brought the world to the brink of World War III in October 1962. Because: At the time, the communist Soviet Union stationed medium-range missiles on the friendly island nation that could theoretically reach the United States, including nuclear weapons, in minutes.

Vladimir Putin’s Submarine: Russia Sends Military Ships to Cuba

At the time, then-President John F. Under Kennedy, Washington considered a possible invasion of Cuba that would eliminate missile sites with conventional weapons before they could be launched. Eventually, Kennedy’s government and the Communist regime of then-Soviet Premier Nikita Khrushchev agreed to a peaceful settlement of the conflict.

And today? This time, in the middle of the war in Ukraine, Russia sent another (smaller) fleet to Cuba. But Washington, perhaps tipped off by the Kremlin, has been much quieter. Russian ships and submarines withdrew on Monday (June 17) after five days of joint military exercises with the Cubans. It seems that he was in a battered state. Well-known Ukrainian military blogger Igor Shushko has shared “Kazan” photos that are supposed to document the damage of one of the new Russian submarines.

Russia’s Submarines: Did Vladimir Putin’s “Kazan” Arrive in Cuba With Damage?

Although Sushko shared the photos, the photos could not be independently verified. Kazan is one of four completed Project 885 submarines in service with the Russian Navy since 2014.

A fleet of the most modern type of Russian nuclear-powered submarines entered service in May 2021 — at that time actually with the Northern Fleet, not Moscow’s Pacific Fleet. The 133-meter-long, powerful submarine typically carries a crew of 64 while traveling for months in international deep-sea waters at a maximum diving depth of 650 meters.

Russian Navy’s Project 885 Class: Five Submarines Under Construction for Vladimir Putin

In theory, the weapon consists of ten torpedo tubes with a diameter of 533 millimeters and eight vertical launch modules for up to 32 Onyx or 40 caliber cruise missiles or anti-ship missiles. Russia says five more Project 885-class submarines are under construction at the large Sevmash-Severotvinsk shipyard, located in the so-called White Sea in the northwest of the Russian Federation, not far from Finland.

As Kremlin dictator Vladimir Putin’s Black Sea fleet loses more ships in its fight with Ukraine over Crimea, the fly-by visit to Cuba could also be a show of strength. What did the Moscow apparatus achieve only to a limited extent? Because even Putin’s most modern submarines have questionable technological flaws? American News Magazine Newsweek An analysis puts Cuba’s record into perspective.

Bad for Vladimir Putin: Ukrainian blogger jokes about Russian submarine

According to the US report, submarines are usually equipped with invisibility cloaks or low-reflective shells to absorb sound waves. This should make underwater ships more difficult to detect and therefore less vulnerable to attacks and pursuits by enemy ships. He writes that areas where shells are missing can often be found in submarines Newsweek Further.

On the other hand, Kremlin-critical and pro-Ukrainian blogger Sushko said maliciously on X: “The Russian submarine started to go down during its trip to Cuba. Will it come back to Russia? I say the best course of action would be to declare an emergency and report defects to a port in Florida within hours. (evening)