The appearance of Russian warships in Cuban waters, only 100 miles south of Florida, has been watched closely by the United States and Canada, as the frigate Admiral Gorshkov and nuclear-powered submarine Kazan entered Havana Bay last week.
The flotilla, due to depart the Cuban capital today, was armed with Zircon hypersonic missiles and Kalibr cruise missiles, according to Russia, although Cuba said the vessels were not carrying nuclear weapons.
Cuba's Foreign Ministry said the port call was a reflection of the country's "historically friendly relations" with Moscow, and that it would greet the Russian flagship with a 21-cannon salute.
Following their arrival, a series of social media posts claimed that Russian vessels had been seen firing missiles off the coast of Florida.
The Claim
A post on X, formerly Twitter, by user @SprinterFamily, viewed 144,000 times, said: "Russia is conducting naval exercises using nuclear submarines just 150 km off the coast of Florida, US UPD- illustrative video."
The post included a series of clips showing what appeared to be missiles being fired from submarines and other naval positions. The video included the watermark "Russian Ministry of Defense."
The Facts
The same footage was used in similar other social media posts that also claimed it showed missiles being fired. A post by commentator Dominic Michael Tripi, posted on June 12, 2024, also shared the video, commenting: "Russia just conducted major military exercises only 66 miles off the coast of Florida."
However, the videos shared on X were not filmed off the coast of Florida. A reverse image search of the keyframes shows the footage was taken from a nuclear weapons test in 2018 in the White Sea, some 5,560 miles away from Cuba.
A report by The Maritime Executive from May 2018 said the nuclear-powered submarine Yuri Dologorukiy test-fired four intercontinental ballistic missiles (ICBM), the first-ever firing from a Borei-class submarine.
A video accompanying the article includes the same footage used in the social media posts.
According to the Center for Strategic and International Studies, a Washington-based think tank, the submarine-launched a Bulava missile. Launched from Bore-class submarines and designed to carry a nuclear warhead, it is a core component of Russia's future strategic nuclear force.
The Moscow Times reported at the time that the missiles were capable of delivering 10 warheads over a range of 8,000 kilometers (4,900 miles).
Crucially, the video has nothing to do with the stationing of Russian ships near Havana. U.S. officials previously told Newsweek that the flotilla posed no threat, although they expected further military exercises in the Caribbean, possibly with Venezuela.
The Ruling
False.
The video shared on social media is not of ships conducting missile test strikes off the coast of Florida.
The footage, filmed in 2018, recorded Russian submarine-launched ICBM missile tests in the White Sea.
FACT CHECK BY Newsweek's Fact Check team
Uncommon Knowledge
Newsweek is committed to challenging conventional wisdom and finding connections in the search for common ground.
Newsweek is committed to challenging conventional wisdom and finding connections in the search for common ground.
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