Russia’s formidable Kazan nuclear submarine arrives in Cuba under watchful US eyes

One of Russia’s most concerning new submarines has pulled up off the coast of Cuba ahead of planned military exercises in the area.

The Kazan, a nuclear-powered cruise missile submarine, is one of a relatively new class of subs that has worried the US and Western militaries for years due to its stealth and strike capabilities.

Three Russian ships, as well as the Kazan, arrived in Cuba on Wednesday for a five-day official visit before a large, simultaneous air and maritime exercise in the Caribbean. The deployment includes the Admiral Gorshkov frigate, which is armed with Zircon hypersonic missiles, another challenge for Western militaries.

While US officials have said they are monitoring the vessels and do not anticipate any imminent danger in the region, the Kazan’s arrival is notable. US and Nato officials have long expressed anxiety over the capabilities of the Kazan and other subs like it.

Russia’s Yasen-class submarines, like the Kazan, are formidable threats within Russia’s navy, which has long boasted a rather capable submarine fleet. The Russians began work on the class during the Cold War, and the first sub in the class, the Severodvinsk, was commissioned late in 2013.

Around the time the Severodvinsk came about, Naval Sea Systems Command’s programme executive officer for submarines said at a naval symposium that going forward, the US would “be facing tough potential opponents”, adding that “one only has to look at the Severodvinsk”.