Cuba has reportedly sought to acquire drones and other military equipment from Russia while discussing potential attack scenarios involving American targets near the United States mainland, according to claims cited by Axios from unnamed US officials.
The report alleges that Cuban officials explored scenarios involving the US naval base at Guantanamo Bay Naval Base, targets in Key West and American military vessels operating in the region.
According to the officials quoted, Havana has also attempted to study how Iran has resisted sustained American military pressure during periods of confrontation with Washington.
One senior US official claimed Cuba had already obtained more than 300 Russian and Iranian drones of varying capability, allegedly storing them at multiple sites across the island.
“When we think about those types of technologies being that close, and a range of bad actors from terror groups to drug cartels to Iranians to the Russians, it’s concerning,” the official told Axios.
The report further claimed that Cuba’s geographic proximity to the United States makes it strategically valuable for intelligence gathering, with espionage facilities on the island allegedly collecting signals intelligence for both China and Russia.
The allegations come amid rising tensions between the United States and Cuba and renewed scrutiny of Havana’s links to Moscow and Tehran.
Axios reported that CIA Director John Ratcliffe visited Cuba earlier this month, where US officials reportedly warned the Cuban leadership against allowing the island to become a platform for hostile foreign powers.
A CIA official quoted in the report said: “Director Ratcliffe made clear that Cuba can no longer serve as a platform for adversaries to advance hostile agendas in our hemisphere.”
US officials also alleged that thousands of Cuban nationals have been involved in Russia’s war effort in Ukraine, with some gaining exposure to modern drone warfare tactics being employed on the battlefield.
“They’re part of the Putin meat grinder. They’re learning about Iranian tactics. It’s something we have to plan for,” one official said.
Last year, Ukraine downgraded diplomatic ties with Cuba following reports that Cuban citizens had been recruited to fight for Russian forces.
Despite the warnings, American officials quoted in the report suggested there was no immediate concern that Cuba posed a major conventional military threat to the United States.
“No one’s worried about fighter jets from Cuba. It’s not even clear they have one that can fly,” one official reportedly said, while stressing the symbolic and strategic concern posed by hostile capabilities positioned only 90 miles from the US coastline.
The report also stated that the US Department of Justice may unseal an indictment against Raul Castro relating to the 1996 downing of civilian aircraft, a move likely to further inflame tensions between Washington and Havana.
No independent evidence supporting the more dramatic claims in the Axios report has yet been publicly released.
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