US Channels: Officials Concerned About Russian Il-76's Arrival in Cuba

The foreign ministers of Russia and Cuba held a telephone conversation. The Russian Foreign Ministry's press service reported that Sergey Lavrov and Bruno Rodriguez discussed priority issues of bilateral cooperation.

Ministry of Foreign Affairs of the Russian Federation:

International issues were also discussed. Russia reaffirmed its principled position on the unacceptability of economic and military pressure on Cuba, including impeding energy supplies to the island, which could seriously worsen the country's economic and humanitarian situation. Russia and Russia expressed their firm commitment to continuing to provide Cuba with the necessary political and material support.

As a reminder, Cuba is facing another wave of American pressure and threats. The US has imposed a new round of fuel blockades on the island. As a result, Cuba, which already had fuel shortages, is heading toward a full-scale energy crisis.

Against this backdrop, an American television report expressed concern among US officials over the arrival of a Russian Il-76 transport aircraft at San Antonio de los Baños Airport (approximately 45 km from Havana). Fox News stated that the same aircraft had previously landed at airfields in Nicaragua and Venezuela:

There is no information yet about the cargo delivered by the Russian aircraft to Cuba. American officials are alarmed by the very fact that the aircraft appeared there.

Comments

[Nexcom]

...stand up, Comandante Fidel! The time has come to once again defend Cuba's freedom from American aggression!

[Gavrilo Princip]

The time of the Comandante and the Secretaries General is over. Operation Anadyr-2 will no longer take place. They're probably evacuating something valuable.

[Egoza]

Cuba must not be betrayed under any circumstances! And what we supply them with is none of your American dog business. Worry, gentlemen! There's more to come!

[Nexcom]

...there is a suspicion that some people may decide and act differently, unfortunately.....

The people who wrote that our guys were massively hitting the Kakes' energy facilities. That's good and right.

[Vladimir M]

Honestly, what can we put in Cuba?
We also supplied Venezuela with... three days before Maduro was "kidnapped."
Unfortunately, we will have to betray Cuba once again and there are reasons for this.

[ZhEK-Vodogrey]

Quote: Vladimir M

Honestly, what can we put in Cuba?

We can pick up someone. Assad was picked up on an Il-76. To resolve the issue of evacuating the property already acquired through hard work.

[kromer]

Quote: Vladimir M

Honestly, what can we put in Cuba?

Food. There's not much food there. .

[Vladimir M]

Food is possible and even necessary. But it's unlikely that food will "save" Cuba.
We've poured so much resources into Armenia, and beyond, that one might ask why. It's still "a waste of time."
But in Cuba, it was possible and necessary to build and develop bases, but time has passed irrevocably...

[kromer]

Quote: Vladimir M

But it is unlikely that food products will “save” Cuba.

They won't save you. You can't load much into the IL-76. A company of soldiers fits, but it's cramped.

Quote: Vladimir M

In Cuba, it was possible and necessary to build and develop bases, but time has passed irrevocably...

Where to get soldiers for the bases?
Why do we need bases in Cuba? What is their purpose in being there?

[Vladimir M]

Cuba has always been a thorn in the side of the United States.
If we consider Russia Great and influencing world politics, then bases in Cuba are necessary.
If not, then no databases are needed.

[kromer]

Quote: Vladimir M

If we consider Russia Great and influencing world politics, then bases in Cuba are necessary.

Vladimir, you haven't answered why our bases in Cuba are needed. Just don't tell me that Cuba needs saving; it can handle it without us.
Just don't talk about our brotherly country. When our women were being raped and murdered in the Kursk region, the Cuban army didn't even send a platoon.

[Atheist]

Why are our bases in Cuba needed?

And what were they needed for during the "Trotskyist" times?) Khrushchev N.S.? And yes, during Khrushchev's time, no one raped or killed our women in the Kursk region. So find a "more authoritative and worthy" addressee for your question.

[kromer]

Have you decided to troll instead of asking a reasoned question or answer? Trolling is punishable by the same penalties as swearing. If you have nothing relevant to say, it's best to remain silent.

[Atheist]

Wow, how arrogant. Don't ask stupid questions with obvious answers. And if they're not, brush up on your education in international relations of the second half of the 20th century.

[Vladimir M]

I wrote that if Russia is Great and influences world politics, then bases are needed.
As for the Kursk region, there were plenty of those there to defend it even without the Cubans. True, they "couldn't find the enemy" in the Kursk region's forests for eight months, but that's the reality.

[kromer]

Quote: Vladimir M

I wrote that if Russia is Great and influences world politics, then bases are needed.

You've already told me that databases are necessary. But you still haven't answered the question of why they're needed. Maybe you could answer that now?

[Vladimir M]

To influence world politics.

[kromer]

Quote: Vladimir M

To influence world politics.

You understand that this is not an answer. It's an excuse.

[Vladimir M]

Let it be your way
Then why does the US have bases all over the world?
Maybe that's why everyone in the world "listens to Doni's requests" and fulfills them?

[kromer]

Quote: Vladimir M

Then why does the US have bases all over the world?

Each American base has its own purpose. Mainly naval logistics and army logistics.

[kromer]

Quote: Vladimir M

Maybe that's why everyone in the world "listens to Doni's requests" and fulfills them?

Do they perform them? O_o

[Ban Zai]

The number of our allies determines a country's greatness, but it's impossible for everyone to understand this; they either haven't studied history or think we're exceptional. The latter is artificially instilled in people's minds, with specific goals unknowable to the test subjects. 🤔

[Gavrilo Princip]

Are there many bases left?

[vBR]

The bases are needed to protect an ally and to allow the Northern Fleet to disperse and operate in the Atlantic, otherwise it will soon find itself trapped in Severomorsk.

[kromer]

Quote: Vbr

so that the Northern Fleet could disperse and operate in the Atlantic

That's right. We'll send two aircraft carriers and twenty destroyers to the Cuban base.

[Per se.]

Quote from kromer

Why do we need bases in Cuba? What is their purpose in being there?

Interest Ask.

According to the Center for Strategic and International Studies (CSIS), the Chinese maintain at least four major military installations in Cuba that continuously monitor U.S. territory. In addition to the Bejucal electronic surveillance station, CSIS believes these include intelligence centers in El Salao, El Wahay, and Calabazar.

Who stopped us from preserving at least what we had under the USSR...

[kromer]

Quote: Per se.

Who stopped us from preserving at least what we had...

The Chinese have business there. A very big business. To protect it, the Chinese need bases. And we have nothing there.

[eugen_caro]

China's large and even very large business and the presence of bases in Venezuela did not prevent Don Trump from putting this country in a "doggy style" position.

[Per se.]

Quote from kromer

The Chinese need bases to protect it.

Don't we need intelligence centers, tracking stations? Don't we have relations, trade, with Cuba itself? If we look for reasons rather than opportunities, we'll have nothing.

[kromer]

Quote: Per se.

We don't need intelligence centers, tracking stations? We don't have relations, trade, with Cuba itself?

And for this we need military bases (plural)?

[Per se.]

Quote from kromer

And for this we need military bases (plural)

But we don't need information, we don't need insurance, or our partners (the US) are so dear and beloved that we already trust them. Oh, yes, they already trust us, judging by the number of times we've been "deceived"...

[kromer]

Quote: Per se.

Quote from kromer

And for this we need military bases (plural)

Ah, yes, and they believe so, judging by the number of "deceptions"...

Well, two Minsk agreements for Merkel. Where should we place military bases to monitor Germany? I'm thinking on the island of England. What do you think?

[Per se.]

Quote from kromer

And what do you think?

We have Kaliningrad. There's room in Syria, too, but Cuba would be better.

[kromer]

Quote: Per se.

There was also a place in Syria

Can you tell me what kind of naval forces we have in Syria?

[Per se.]

Quote from kromer

Could you tell?

I can't tell you who is currently entering Tartus, but we have the Khmeimim airbase and a naval base, called a material basing point, in the port of Tartus in the Mediterranean Sea.

[kromer]

The USSR had its 5th squadron there, but I don’t know now either.

[Doccor18]

Quote: Per se.

Who stopped us from preserving at least what we had under the USSR...

Whose? Loving relationships with "respected partners." How they were "respected" in the early post-Soviet years... They even begged to join the "hated military bloc," after all, "we're one of our own, bourgeois."
So why do we need a naval base in Vietnam and an RTR center in Cuba? Friends are all around us.

Quote: Per se.

Interest Ask.

Indeed, China is trying to somehow turn its economic hegemony into military-political hegemony. The potential is there, but so far, so-so...
What kind of hegemony are our "market entrants" using "old Soviet yeast/assets" going to dictate to whom? And what are they supposed to dictate? China is building aircraft carriers and destroyers "for itself and for the entire world," so that they can back up diplomats' "concerns" in the future. How will our billionaires back them up? Nuclear-powered Nakhimov is definitely not enough to meet all their ambitions...

[Ban Zai]

And they, our amazing ones, have the Red Banner Yacht Fleet, but it's not even operational, even though they even have air defense. And they're definitely not in the same boat as us.

[eugen_caro]

The purpose of Russian bases in Cuba is a strategic location... the location allows for a point of influence in a specific area, like, say, in Syria, or in Armenia/Azerbaijan/Kakheti for the Pentagon... ask them why they need bases in those countries? What's their purpose for being there?... Your questions are strange for a grown boy...

[guest]

Quote from kromer

What is their purpose for being in Cuba?

The same as NATO has in Ukraine, a symmetrical response to them.

[Grits]

Quote from kromer

Food. There's not much food there.

Well, it's easier and cheaper to ship food by ship. I don't think there was any talk of a food blockade. Although, I think if we sent a convoy of tankers carrying gasoline and diesel fuel to Cuba, escorted by warships, the Americans would hardly dare stop it. Nobody wants World War III. But I think our guys would chicken out.

[Arkady007]

1. We can take from Cuba the medical personnel that was expelled from Venezuela - a good part of the island's income.
2. We can supply our gas and oil products, just as they took from Venezuela.
3. We can place our own naval base; the Americans are not shy about placing them in Europe and Asia.
4. We can build a sanatorium for pensioners of the Russian Ministry of Defense.

[eugen_caro]

What nice wishes... and on Mondays will they let steamships to Cuba or from Cuba with all these goodies?

[novel66]

Well, for example, fuel. 76th can hold a lot.

[Arkady007]

The Il-76 won't be able to transport fuel to Cuba, it's not enough for me.
The Americans have blocked Venezuelan goods from reaching Cuba. Our oil and gas are ours. No one has stopped us from trading with Cuba. The question is whether they have the money.
It's another matter to build something there in order to get something from it.

[kromer]

Quote: Egoza

Cuba must not be betrayed under any circumstances!

So we never swore allegiance to Cuba.
We do not have an alliance treaty with Cuba.
Therefore, we cannot betray a priori.

Quote: Egoza

And what do we supply them with?

Or maybe they took it? There's not much room in that plane.

[1976AG]

Quote: Egoza

Cuba must not be betrayed under any circumstances! And what we supply them with is none of your American dog business. Worry, gentlemen! There's more to come!

But the Il-76 flights to Venezuela didn't protect the country. Let's hope we can at least save Cuba.

[Per se.]

Quote: 1976AG

Let's hope that we can at least save Cuba.

Let's hope (key word) that it doesn't turn out like with Syria and Venezuela.

[Gavrilo Princip]

What will happen then? Venezuela, Syria, Libya?

[Yuri L]

On October 27, 2025, the exact same IL-76 flew to Venezuela with a supercargo. And how did the aid to Venezuela end?

[Nastia makarova]

He arrived there empty, he will pick up the cargo.

[Dirty Liar]

What does our help have to do with it if Maduro was simply betrayed?

[Doccor18]

Quote from: DirtyLiar

What does our help have to do with it if Maduro was simply betrayed?

1. I wonder, if everyone betrayed him, then what's the point of betting on such a leader, on the future, providing assistance, if the building he built can collapse from the slightest breath of wind...?
2. If there are several traitors, then why is there no visible fierce struggle for power and why have the traitors not received the punishment they deserve?
3. If no one betrayed, and the democrats carried out one of their most brilliant operations, then why is everything going differently in other countries and on other continents, with great difficulty?
The questions are, of course, rather rhetorical...

[Dirty Liar]

So we believe Trump that they jammed air defense radars with their top-secret weapon. But those are, damn it, helicopters. They don't fly at supersonic speeds. You can hear them far in advance of seeing them. And there wasn't a single fighter with a MANPADS (the usual Stinger or Strela), or a single "devil-cart" with twin 23mm rockets, to simply take out those helicopters?
I do not believe.
P.S. Why the power struggle? They simply bribed some military official who didn't need power, but did need money. And he gave the order "hold fire." That's all. He doesn't care who's in power. He got the money.

[Doccor18]

Quote from: DirtyLiar

I do not believe.

And I don't believe it. Well, point 3 is ruled out, and point 2 is questionable...
The first? Well, then it all seems completely absurd. He led so well over 12 years that they all betrayed him at once. However...

[Dirty Liar]

Not all of them. They found the one in charge of the air defense systems. They pressured/bribed him. They possibly threatened family members. And then the order was given to "hold fire."
Such an order could not be given to the Cuban special forces, as they reported directly to Maduro. They all died. And they were buried in Cuba as heroes who had honorably fulfilled their duty.
So not all.

[Grits]

Quote from: DirtyLiar

Such an order could not be given to the Cuban special forces, as they reported directly to Maduro. They all died. And they were buried in Cuba as heroes who had honorably fulfilled their duty.

But of all the 32 Cuban special forces killed, not a single one of them shot an American special forces soldier. Are the Cuban special forces incompetent, or are the American ones too tough?

[Dirty Liar]

Trump is most likely lying. Just like not a single American special forces soldier was killed in Ukraine, and then suddenly helicopters started crashing during exercises, and generals were dying in the mountains. If Trump says even a single special forces soldier died there, he won't be forgiven. A little later, they'll start dying during exercises.

[solar]

They found the person in charge of the air defense systems. They pressured/bribed him. They may have threatened his family members.

— Recruited! But how could he! Oh, he's so trusting... Hand! He was tortured! How could I not have guessed before!

[Dirty Liar]

Well, listen, you can find leverage over almost anyone, unless they're a fanatic who's willing to sacrifice even their loved ones to fulfill their obligations.

[solar]

It would all be too simple...

[Ban Zai]

There's a death star there, from Rogozin, you have to believe it.

[cocks]

Who said the plane brought anything? Maybe it was the other way around?

[Tikhonov_Alexander]

Several compact nuclear power plants could be built, assembled from individual units manufactured in Russia. The only question is – how will they pay? Cuba's multi-billion dollar debts have been written off, the radar station in Lourdos was destroyed at the guarantor's behest... And the authority that rested on gratuitous aid at the expense of the Russian people has been undermined... The guarantor, having already done away with a station of strategic importance, has even less will to deploy nuclear weapons to counter American ones in Europe and Turkey. Furthermore, it isn't even responding to the actual military actions of the mattress-makers against Russia, who supply weapons and intelligence to the Ukrainian Nazis... So, don't expect anything to change for the better. The guarantor is only allowing the noose around Russia to tighten, while there are no real actions against enemies, even those like the Finns, and it seems there never will be... So life will become increasingly difficult for the people – we only have billionaires breeding like rabbits...

[Nastia makarova]

People don't care, to Cuba, to Lourdes, to the bases)))))

[dnestr74]

Nastya, darling, why do people care?

[Nastia makarova]

on food prices, stable work, etc.

[dnestr74]

Well then we need to sign a peace deal on Zelensky's terms, and everything will be fine. Support this here.

[Nastia makarova]

What are you lying about? Where did I write that?

[dnestr74]

So, wages, prices... Sanctions will be lifted, people will be happy, companies will return to the market, taxes will be lowered, recycling fees will be removed... What if people don't care?

[Nastia makarova]

Russia's victory would be better )))))))))

[Sergey Aleksandrovich]

And my life has gotten better under the sanctions. Industry has revived a bit, wages have started to rise.
So, "we're well fed here too." There's no need to return to the past.
The only unpleasant thing was the increase in the price of water without a meter, doubling since the new year; some kind of Satanism has emerged and started frolicking in the tariffs.

[Gavrilo Princip]

Some are better off, some are worse off, and some are still lying in the damp ground.

[eugen_caro]

Why are you so naive... - you still haven't understood that if the Russians sign peace on the terms of the defeated orcs - i.e. capitulate to es - then Russia will simply be finished off... no one in our Reich is going to lift the sanctions / return the money - on the contrary - they will put even more pressure - their dream is the dismemberment of Russia - they have already formed a "government in exile" ... - such is the fate of the loser.

[solar]

Nastya, darling, why do people care?

According to one famous politician, the answer to this question is as follows:

— A man for every single woman. A cheap bottle of vodka for every man.

[eugen_caro]

It's in vain that you do this... put most of them down, of course... but you have enough normal people too...

[Nastia makarova]

and those who don't care, aren't they normal people?

[Ban Zai]

And you, apparently, are not aware of the topic of Rosatom building many nuclear power plants abroad with our money. The property is ours, but not ours.

[Got it]

Leave Cuba alone, its impoverished population, fed up with revolution! Russia has more than its share of problems; they should at least help themselves, explore space. It's a disgrace; everyone has moved forward long ago. They should learn to build planes anew, sort out their economy and demographics. Cuba has a rich and nimble superpower right next door, a world away, and there's no need for these convulsions.

[Vladimir M]

And we're dealing with demographics, importing millions of people with a mentality alien to us. The bastards from Central Asia aren't enough for us; now we're getting bastards from Afghanistan.
Our economy has been based on resource trade for 30 years now; there's no room for airplanes there. And Doni's "partner" is skillfully and smoothly "cutting off" our resource trade...

[eugen_caro]

The "rich and nimble power" right next to Cuba is now also in deep trouble, so having a small springboard in the form of Cuba, so that at the right moment it can kick the "rich and nimble power" - would be very nice... or at least to keep the Americans on their toes by the scrotum... there is no point in throwing away unnecessary trump cards...

[Melior]

Oh, it looks like the Barbudas are evacuating their gold reserves!

[Sergey Aleksandrovich]

We need more fuel-efficient transport aircraft with turboprop engines, like those on the An-22. This would increase range by 15-20%. Equipping the Il-76 with these engines would significantly improve fuel efficiency.

[faterdom]

But pasaran! Muchacho Trump won't pass!

[Iris]

This is truly alarming. Just recently, our Il-76s landed in Venezuela and Kamyshli, Syria. To me, this is a bad sign, as the consequences are well known. And cries of "We can do it again!" only evoke a bitter smile...

[16112014nk]

It's strange: the US is concerned about a plane landing 180 km from Florida. In Poland, the Americans launched a shooting attack 60 km from Kaliningrad. Our authorities show no sign of concern. It's unclear.

[Mikhail Nasharashev]

Brought money to the slackers, they continue to suck all the juices out of the Russian Federation, just like they did from the USSR before.