Putin’s military fleet crosses the Caribbean with the Kazan nuclear submarine. Is there any danger?

This article was originally published in English

The Russian nuclear-powered submarine K-561 Kazan continues Sailing through the Caribbean Sea After dropping anchor off the port of Havana and heading to an unknown destination.

The submarine, which carries cruise missiles, is part of a naval group made up of the Gorshkov frigate, carrier Zircon hypersonic anti-ship missile; a tugboat and an auxiliary tanker.

According to Western military sources, flag ships may head towards the cruise route VenezuelaRussia’s second ally in America. Since the beginning of its journey through the Atlantic Ocean, The Russian naval group has been closely monitored by Western naviesEspecially the American one.

The presence of Russian military assault units in international waters off the coast of Florida has raised the alert of the US and its allieslike Canada. For the armies of these countries the naval group creates some strategic puzzles and concerns about projection and The real potential of the Russian military fleet.

The voyage is not a present danger. This is an objective fact. Both the Kazan submarine and the Gorshkov frigate carry Missiles “without nuclear warheads”As Cuban diplomacy openly announced last week.

The fleet entered the Atlantic in the light of Russian Media and the US Navy’s anti-submarine reconnaissance system. This is not the first time since the end of the Soviet Union that Russian warships have stopped in Cuba.

and the Pentagon Lowered the alert and comparisons with the missile crisis between the Soviet Union and the United States in Cuba in 1962. “They are Regular naval visits “We’ve looked at that under different administrations,” a Pentagon spokesman said.

Although National Security Council The US seems to slightly disagree with the Defense Department. In the eyes of the Security Council Presence of nuclear powered submarine The extent of U.S. sovereign waters must be placed in a broader perspective relative to Russian maritime strategy.

US National Security Advisor, jake sullivan He added that “this time, there is a different element to the deployment of Russian warships in Cuba. For the first time, they have included a nuclear submarine, Yasen-class Kazan.”

US security agencies seem to be There is more concern about submarines than frigateseven though the surface warship was also heavily armed. Gorshkov was the first to wear Hypersonic Missile MAC 8-9 Zircon anti-ship missiles.

Does the war in Ukraine have anything to do with this?

Analyzing the war in Ukraine, military analysts confirm that the actions of the Russian Navy in the Black Sea have been inadequate. High number of losses The naval units suffered losses.

Although Russian nuclear submarines (especially the latest generation) remain an enigma to most Western analysts. Russian submarine warfare could be the trump card for a clearly weak Navy.

What is a Yasen class submarine?

According to the conservative American international relations magazine ‘National Interest’, the Yasen class ships are located One of the five best attack submarines in the worldWith the Russians of the Sierra II class, the British of the Astute class, and the Americans of the Virginia and Seawolf classes.

Submarines Yasem-MSuch as Kazan, the most recent modification (built in 2021) of the Yasen class, built in 2009.

The Yasen class is developed from a project from the last days of the Soviet Union. However, analysts of NATO They consider it to be a formidable underwater deterrent and defence vessel.

a report from Royal United Services Institute The 2021 emphasis is that the characteristics of the Kazan-type submarines “represent the evolution ofNuclear guided missile submarines “Which likely signals a change in the way Russian submarines will contribute to future operations.”

this means that it’s going from Missions against ships and convoys With the capability to attack inland targets from the ocean through the use of hypersonic cruise missiles.

Yassen is a real threat in case of conflict, they say Dr. Siddharth Kaushalof Royal United Services Institute: “Yasen is concerning for two reasons. First, its vulnerability to passive detection is significantly lower than that of older Russian ships.”

“There is also Equipped with vertical launch cells for cruise missilesWhich means if it evades tracking it could pose a long-range attack threat to critical military infrastructure,” he says.

NATO anti-submarine warfare

travel in Warm Caribbean Waters The jewel of the Russian naval fleet has offered Moscow a diplomatic showcase and an opportunity The US monitors and studies the Yasen-M class.

“The NATO have a credible anti-submarine warfare system and Russia Its strength is more limited than during the Cold War. Furthermore, Russian attack submarines “They are also essential for tasks such as defending the Russian fleet,” says Dr Kaushal.

Although Anti-submarine warfare Military escalation comes at a heavy cost in terms of resources.

“Maybe it will be needed A change in the way NATO tackles the challenge of war “Anti-submarine warfare is a concern, given that a barrier defence strategy in the Greenland-Iceland-UK gap may do little to actually impact Russian submarines, which may have little need to breach this barrier to achieve their operational objectives,” the report warns. Royal United Services Institute:

Russian Fleet The last two years of the Ukrainian war saw serious setbacks in the Black Sea. Two diesel submarines collided and sank in the Sevastopol Bay. According to many war analysts, this is evidence of Russian sea power has been greatly overestimated.

However: “The attack on Sevastopol was an embarrassment to the Russian Navy, but the fact that it happened in the port Much has not been proven about the capabilities of Russian submarines“Kaushal concluded by arguing that the true threat of submarine fleets could only be verified when they were in action.