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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.
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FG announces April deadline for completion of East-West Road

The Federal Government has directed the contractor handling the Eleme section of the East-West Road to expedite drainage work to meet the April deadline for completion.
The Minister of Works, David Umahi, issued the directive during an inspection of the ongoing 15km road upgrade from Eleme Junction to Onne in Eleme Local Government Area of Rivers State.
While commending Reynolds Construction Company Nigeria Limited for the quality of work done, Umahi insisted that the drainage must be prioritised to ensure timely completion.
“RCC has done very well. The work completed in the past two months is more than what was done since the project started. However, the project slowed down significantly when the site manager went on leave. I’m happy to see him back and satisfied with the quality of work RCC is delivering,” Umahi stated.
He emphasised the need to test existing road shoulders before excavation, warning against unnecessary digging for financial gains.
“The existing shoulder has to be tested throughout. I don’t want them digging up areas filled with sharp sand and stone base just to increase costs. If they don’t test it and request approval for any section they dig, they won’t get paid,” he warned.
Umahi also observed that drainage construction had either stopped or slowed significantly, urging the contractor to redesign and precast drainage systems for quicker installation, even during the rainy season.
“I’m happy with the project’s progress, and I believe they will complete the carriageway by the end of April. However, if drainage work is not completed, the project remains unfinished. They must accelerate drainage work to ensure we clear this carriageway by April,” he stated.
The minister further directed that any section of the road that has remained untouched for 21 days after concrete casting should be opened to commuters to ease traffic congestion.
“Anywhere that has stayed 21 days since concrete was cast should be opened to road users, starting today. This concrete technology will ensure the road lasts between 50 and 100 years without maintenance or reconstruction. It is a signature project of President Bola Tinubu,” he added.
Umahi also inspected the rehabilitation of the Enugu-Port Harcourt dual carriageway, Section IV (Aba–Port Harcourt), which is being handled by the Chinese Construction Engineering Company.
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Reasons behind extreme heat conditions in FCT, Niger, Kogi – NiMet

The Nigerian Meteorological Agency (NiMet) has given reasons for the high temperatures residents of the Federal Capital Territory (FCT), Niger, Kogi and few other states are currently experiencing.
The current maximum temperature in the listed states is 40°C and the minimum is 23°C.
The Seasonal Climate Prediction (SCP) released last month by the agency shows that most of the northern and central states would record day-time temperatures ranging between 37°C and 40°C, while parts of Kano, Kaduna, Bauchi, and Plateau states in the North as well as Oyo, Osun, Ogun, Ekiti, Edo, Enugu, Anambra, Ebonyi, Imo, Abia, part of Cross River and Delta states in the South are expected to record temperatures ranging between 34°C and 37°C this month.
The agency attributed the high temperatures to climate change and advised Nigerians to embrace a lifestyle switch.
Residents of the states experiencing high temperatures are advised to avoid exposure to direct sunlight between noon and 3 p.m.
There are also indications that this year may be hotter than last year, which was described as the hottest year.
NiMet’s Director of Weather Services, Prof. Vincent Weli, announced this while speaking on phone with The Nation yesterday. He said: “Everything is embedded in the climate change theory. Every experience we are having now is a result of climate change. The hotness, in general, is because of climate change.
“Abuja, Lokoja, and Minna are located within the same ecological zone and these towns share the same weather pattern. Whatever happens to Lokoja will affect Minna and Abuja because they are in the same route of the flow of wind and also lie within the same climatic zone. Also, these towns have the same vegetation pattern.
“So, since they are within the same climatic belt, everything that affects Minna and the FCT will affect Lokoja accordingly. The heat is affecting everywhere, not just these towns mentioned. We said last year was the hottest in the history of the earth but this year already is trying to beat it to become the hottest.
“So, as the year increases, it’s obvious that we are going to have higher temperatures. I don’t know where we are headed with this trend, but something needs to be done to reverse the trend.”
To make the best of the situation, Prof. Weli said: “What can reverse the trend is for us to encourage every activity of man that will reduce the emission of carbon dioxide into the atmosphere, such as the use of electric cars, solar power and planting of trees.
“These will be other sources of energy other than the use of diesel and petrol and other hydrocarbon compounds that we use as sources of power. Also, we should plant more trees to reduce carbon dioxide in the atmosphere. The more we plant trees, the more we reduce carbon dioxide in the atmosphere and the more we increase the oxygen.”
The NiMet director urged residents of the affected states with high temperatures to take necessary action to overcome the hot weather.
He said: “In order not to experience what we call heat stroke, people should drink more water often, keep themselves off the direct impact of sunlight between 12 p.m (noon) and 3 p.m. If people do not expose their bodies to the direct impact of sunlight, it will reduce water loss from the system.
“So, people should drink more water than necessary. Otherwise, their systems will be dehydrated, and that will cause secondary health issues.”
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JAMB begins sales of 2025 direct entry forms March 12

Registration for this year’s Direct Entry (DE) form will begin tomorrow, the Joint Admissions and Matriculation Board (JAMB) has said.
The board said the registration process is crucial for those who possess degrees, diplomas, or A-Level certificates and wish to advance their education at their preferred universities.
JAMB’s Public Communications Advisor, Dr. Fabian Benjamin, announced this in a statement yesterday in Abuja.
The statement said the announcement for the commencement of the DE sales followed the successful conclusion of the Unified Tertiary Matriculation Examination (UTME) application sales, which ended on Saturday, March 8.
“During this period, JAMB recorded a total of 2,030,627 registrations for the 2025 UTME, along with 200,115 for the Mock-UTME and 630 applications for the trial mock,” the statement said.
It added: “JAMB has emphasised the importance of adhering to all entry requirements, warning that serious penalties will be imposed on applications containing false declarations. A special committee will verify all submitted Advanced A-Level Qualifications, and any fraudulent results will lead to prosecution. Additionally, institutions are encouraged to directly verify certificates before considering admissions.
“Registration can only be done at JAMB Professional Registration Centres (PRC).”
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