“I think I’m in a Soviet movie, one of those black and white ones they showed us in the 80s”
14ymedio, Juan Diego Rodríguez, Havana, 15 June 2024 — This newspaper took advantage of the “only opportunity” that the Russian Navy offered Cubans to visit the hull of the frigate Gorshkov. The ship, 135 meters long, is anchored in the port of Havana next to the Kazan nuclear submarine, which was also accessible. Under the drizzle and wind, a line of hundreds of people waited their turn to climb onto the ship’s hull or to walk through the submarine’s hatches.
Both ships arrived on the island on June 12 as part of a Russian naval detachment , whose journey has caused an international stir. Umbrellas lined the port railing as the line, without the slightest hurry, moved forward. At noon, when the rain began to get worse, no one dared to walk on the Kazan anymore .
There were quite a few desertions. Faced with the kilometer-long line, many abandoned the dock and sought refuge in the nearby portals. Mothers with their children, elderly people, old combatants and young people were waiting for the signal from one of the three police officers who opened and closed the path to the ship. Several plainclothes agents with lapels moved among the curious.
At one in the afternoon, the downpour shook the cohesion of the line. For many it was the end of their wait and they ran across the avenue. From afar, the severe gray and rain that seem to dominate the bay this Saturday felt much more appropriate than the tropical sun with the Russian ships.
Without being able to board the frigate, whose powerful A-192 Armat cannon was pointed at the Morro castle, an old man consoled himself with nostalgia. “I think I’m in a Soviet movie, one of those black and white ones they showed us in the 80s,” he said, pointing to the silhouette of a man alone with a stoic bearing on the imposing submarine, under the curtain of the downpour.
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