Russian spy ship docked in central Havana on the eve that a senior US delegation visited Cuba. According to multiple online reports, this was President Vladimir Putin's clear defiant display of his nation's military might.
A heavily armed intelligence-gathering Russian spy ship which has been revealed to monitor American communications, called The Viktor Leonov, docked at a passenger cruise terminal. It was in full public view for what the Russian embassy referred to as a "friendly" three-day stay.
This port call actually occurred on the very same day that Sergei Shoigu, the Defense Minister of Kremlin, officially announced Russia's plans to extend its global military footprint with new bases, such as in Nicaragua, Vietnam, Venezuela, and Cuba.
It would appear that Putin was trying to send a typically blunt message regarding the influence his country has with its communist Caribbean ally by coinciding the docking of their Russian spy ship with the week the US Assistant Secretary of State, Roberta Jacobson, pays Cuba a visit.
Jacobson, who happens to be the top US diplomat for the Americas, visited Cuba to begin a negotiation with Cuba, regarding the restoration of their diplomatic ties. This was against the backdrop of a visual reminder that the island had a pivotal role during the Cold War.
It was just last month when US President Barack Obama made an announcement regarding his plans to end the five decades of hostility between the United States and Havana. According to his statement, he can only do so by completely re-establishing full diplomatic links, as well as by ironing out travel and trade restrictions.
However, Russia also sealed a deal with Cuba last year. The agreement was to re-open a massive eavesdropping base, which was situated only 150 miles from the US mainland, especially as friendly relations between Moscow and Washington have started to dwindle over the crisis in Ukraine.
The Russian spy ship Viktor Leonov was launched with the sole and exclusive purpose of monitoring US military, as well as some civilian, electronic communications. It regularly patrols the North Atlantic, as well as the Caribbean, having last docked in Havana back in 2012.
This article is copyrighted by Travelers Today, the travel news leader
