US submarine stops in Guantanamo Bay during Russian military drills

A nuclear-powered U.S. Navy submarine pulled into Guantanamo Bay, Cuba, on Thursday in a demonstration of U.S. strength as Russia prepares to conduct military drills in the waters off the coast of the island.

Russia has sent the Admiral Gorshkov frigate and the Kazan nuclear-powered submarine to Cuba for the military demonstrations. The military drills are considered routine, but come at a time of heightened tension between the U.S. and Russia, over the latter's war with Ukraine.

U.S. Southern Command said the USS Helena's visit was part of a routine port visit, which happens when the submarine travels through Southern Command's region, according to the Associated Press. The USS Helena is a nuclear-powered fast attack submarine.

Pentagon officials claimed the drills are not a concern or threat to the U.S., but that other U.S. ships have been monitoring the exercises anyways.

“This is not a surprise. We’ve seen them do these type of port calls before,” Pentagon spokeswoman Sabrina Singh said Wednesday about the drills. “We of course take it seriously, but these exercises don’t pose a threat to the United States.”

The Russian ships are expected to remain in the area throughout the summer, but could stop by Venezuela, which is one of its allies. The ships are currently in international waters.

Misty Severi is an evening news reporter for Just the News. You can follow her on X for more coverage.