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Russian warship visits Cuba, bringing missiles within 30 miles of US
A warship armed with hypersonic missiles docked in Cuba as the Russian navy carried out missile drills in the Atlantic in a show of force amid rising global tensions.
The Admiral Gorshkov frigate was accompanied by the nuclear-powered submarine Kazan and two supply vessels, one a military tug and the other a fuel carrier, as it sailed within 30 miles of Florida.
Washington responded with submarine-hunter spy planes and sea drones to track the most significant Russian deployment to the Caribbean island in years.
The arrival of the warships in Cuba has echoes of the cold war, when the communist regimes in Moscow and Havana competed with the West for geopolitical power – and the 1962 Cuban missile crisis almost triggered nuclear Armageddon.
But the Biden administration downplayed the significance of the visit from the Gorshkov and the Kazan, emphasising that neither vessel is carrying nuclear weapons and Moscow has the right to hold war games in international waters.
“Russia’s deployments are part of routine naval activity which pose no direct threat or concern to the United States,” an official from US Northern Command told The Telegraph.
However, the Pentagon sent three guided-missile destroyers and several Boeing P-8 maritime reconnaissance planes to shadow the convoy, as it skirted close to the Florida coast.
US intelligence has assessed that the Gorshkov may be armed with Zircon hypersonic missiles. One of Russia’s most modern weapons, with a range of just over 600 miles, they can hit both land and sea targets.
That means that southern Florida, including Miami – just 230 miles from Havana – is now well within range.
But Evan Ellis, a professor at the US Army War College, dismissed flotilla’s presence in Cuba as “pure kabuki theatre”, with symbolic rather than strategic significance, aimed largely at the domestic audience in Russia.
The Admiral Gorshkov fired a 21-gun salute as it entered the port of Havana on Wednesday morning. Cuban forces reciprocated by discharging canons from an 18th Century Spanish fort overlooking the harbour.
The deployment allows Vladimir Putin to project strength on the world stage – even as the Russian military has become bogged down in a war of attrition in Ukraine that has exacted a huge toll in lives and hardware and shown up its combat limitations.
“It’s clear that Russia doesn’t have the sustainable capability to project significant military force into the Western Hemisphere,” Dr Ellis said, noting that the deployment is a “protest response” to the Biden administration authorising Ukraine to use US-supplied weapons to strike inside Russia.
Analyst Steffan Watkins said: “I think it’s as much for domestic audiences as sabre-rattling. It’s still a tiny fraction of the sort of naval activity the Soviets had in the Atlantic during the Cold War, based on declassified CIA reports from the time.”
Dr Ellis also highlighted that the frigate and submarine were accompanied by a tug. That, he said, reveals the dilapidated state of the Russian navy, which has fared disastrously in the war in Ukraine, with even Russia’s Black Sea flagship Moskva being sunk in 2022.
“The fact that they are sending a tug tells you everything. They can’t even rely on the Cubans or the Venezuelans if their ships break down,” he added.
The two vessels are expected to stay in Havana for five days, with civilians even allowed to tour the frigate. They will then take part in war games with the Cuban navy.
They may also then visit Venezuela, another of Russia’s handful of allies, all with floundering economies, in Latin America.
The Federal Government has shut down the Eko Bridge and Ramps for eight weeks for essential asphalt resurfacing.
The Federal Controller of Works, Lagos, Mrs Olukorede Kesha, made this known in a statement on Saturday in Lagos.
Kesha said the Federal Ministry of Works plans essential asphalt resurfacing work on Eko Bridge and Ramps for eight weeks effective from Friday, September 20, by 7.00 a.m, through November 20.
According to her, due to the closure, there will be detours and alternate routes for drivers.
Providing information on how to navigate the area during the closure, she said motorists going to the Island from Funsho Williams Avenue, should use the service lane at Alaka to connect Costain and access Eko Bridge.
“The closure will be full at some sections of the bridge and partial at other sections.
“This critical project aims to improve road safety and enhance the driving experience of motorists.
“The work involves milling of the existing asphalt and relaying new asphalt on the bridge and Ramps. This will address wear and tear and ensure a smoother, safer roadway,” she added.
By Ojomah Austin.
A 30-year-old internet fraudster, known locally as a “Yahoo Boy,” have been apprehended while attempting to rob and potentially kill a hookup girl at an Abuja hotel, has confessed to luring and robbing four other victims he met through dating sites before being caught by a team from the Nigeria Security and Civil Defence Corps (NSCDC).
The suspect, Joseph Efe, who hails from Edo and Ondo States, was arrested at Top View Hotel in Wuse Zone 5, Abuja, as he attempted to flee after allegedly leaving his victim tied up in the hotel room.
FCT Commandant of the NSCDC, Olusola Odumosu, who paraded the suspect noted that Efe was apprehended following the officers’ keen observation.
“When he came out of the hotel premises allegedly to meet his accomplice, our officers noticed something was off and stopped him. He tried to escape, but we pursued and apprehended him, and on returning to the hotel, we found a young woman, Olivia Ijeoma Chukwuemeka, bound and gagged,” Odumosu explained.
According to the Commandant, Efe targeted women through dating platforms like Badoo, Tinder, and Insta Love, luring them to hotels with the intention of robbing them.
He met his latest victim, Olivia Ijeoma Chukwuemeka on a dating site – “Coded Runs” before luring her into the said hotel. ‘
Odumosu revealed that after conducting a thorough investigation, it was revealed that Efe had arrived in Abuja from Lagos on Tuesday, September 17, and had already victimised another woman at a different hotel, FAB, by Top Rank Hotel, adjacent Old Federal Secretariat, Area 1, where he managed to escape due to inadequate security.
Sadly, rather than retreat upon his escape, the adamant suspect then proceeded to Top View Hotel, checked in by 2:30am on Wednesday, September 18, 2024, where he invited his latest victim who arrived at 9am with a promise to pay her a N100,000.
Odumosu who urged hotel owners to prioritise the safety of their guests and to be vigilant against criminal activities occurring on their premises, emphasised that the NSCDC operates with professionalism and does not condone the release of unverified information to the media.
He emphasied that the video circulating on social media regarding the incident was not recorded or released by his team, which he described as highly professional.
“We are committed to performing our duties with diligence before taking any necessary steps to prosecute or transfer a suspect to the appropriate agency,” he stated.
According to him, the incident serves as a stark reminder of the dangers associated with online dating, highlighting the importance of caution and awareness among users.
The victim, a beautician from Enugu, shared her harrowing experience, stating, “He used my clothes, a cellotape and a pillowcase to tie me up and threatened to kill me with a poisonous injection if I didn’t comply.”
She recalled how he confiscated her Android phone and demanded access to her Opay mobile banking app. “He
was contemplating what to do next when, thankfully, I was rescued.”
In a separate case, the Commandant also presented another suspect, Usman Ibrahim, who was arrested for vandalising armored cables from a transformer at the Nigeria Atomic Energy Commission’s Nuclear Technology Centre in Sheda Village, Abuja.
Sokoto State Government has commended the Nigerian Military over its operation against insecurity and banditry in the state.
The Special Adviser on Security Matters to the state Governor, Col Ahmed Usman (rtd), stated this while speaking with newsmen in Sokoto.
He said the federal government in collaboration with the state government and other security agencies are doing their best to restore peace in the region.
“Just two weeks ago, hundreds of motorcycles and patrol vehicles were released to local government areas for the use of our local security guards which was established recently by the state government.”
“This is in addition to other support given to conventional security agencies like the police, army, Nigeria Security and Civil Defence Corps, among others. A total number of 70 brand new patrol vehicles, including Toyota Buffalo and Hilux were distributed to them”, Usman said.
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