ANYBODY older than a child in the 1960’s will probably tell you they could think of a better sight sitting in Cuba’s harbour. Amid the relaxation of trade & visitation embargoes lasting for decades, an American trade and diplomacy mission visiting Cuba were greeted by none other than a Russian spy ship. The Viktor Leonov has been visiting Cuba unannounced a number of times over the last year, docking at a pier normally reserved for cruise ships. The Russian intelligence ship has also been spotted in waters off the US East Coast and perhaps somewhat scarily, has been seen hovering around US nuclear missile facilities in Kings Bay, Georgia. America is trying to rebuild shattered ties with Cuba which were broken in 1961 due to US/Soviet tensions and the Cuban Missile Crisis, a 13-day drama which nearly escalated into full-scale nuclear war. Thankfully, this latest greeting by a Russian naval ship has been dismissed by the US Govt as “not unusual or alarming”.
