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Cuba has test fired its most modern air defense system during military drills amid increasing pressure from the United States.
The S-125-2BM system is seen intercepting an aerial target in video from the drills shared by Cuban state media on May 21. The country has long maintained several operational Soviet-made S-125 systems. These systems were previously upgraded locally by mounting the originally static quadruple missile launchers on the chassis of T-55 tanks.
Last year, it was revealed that at least some of these systems have been upgraded to the S-125-2BM standard by Belarus’ JSC ALEVKURP. The upgrade utilizes advanced electronics and improved mobility to effectively engage modern manned and unmanned aerial targets.
The system, which uses semi-active radar guidance, can engage targets within a range of 30 kilometers, and within an altitude up to 25 kilometers.
Tensions between Cuba and the U.S. have been on the rise since President Donald Trump ordered a special operation to capture Nicolas Maduro, the long-term leader of Cuban ally Venezuela, earlier this year. More than 30 Cuban troops who were guarding Maduro’s residency in Caracas were killed in the operation.
Right after, Trump vowed to starve Cuba of oil, amid one of the worst energy crises in the history of the communist-ruled nation.
In recent weeks, Trump threatened Cuba more than once, saying he can do “anything” he wants with the impoverished state and may have “the honor of taking Cuba.” On May 20, he said he was “freeing up” the country.
“It’s a failing nation. You see that. It’s falling apart. They have no oil, they have no money,” Trump told reporters. “But we’re there to help — we’re there to help the families, the people.”
Adding to the pressure, U.S. federal prosecutors announced on May 20 criminal charges against former Cuban President Raúl Castro in the 1996 downing of civilian planes flown by Miami-based exiles.
Cuban President Miguel Díaz-Canel condemned the indictment as a political stunt that sought only to “justify the folly of a military aggression against Cuba.”
In a message on social media, Díaz-Canel accused the U.S. of lying and manipulating events surrounding the shootdown, including ignoring repeated warnings by Cuban officials at the time that they would defend against “dangerous violations” of their airspace “by notorious terrorists.”
While Trump has suggested before that the U.S. could move against Cuba when the war on Iran is over, this could happen at any movement.
A military operation in the island nation could come faster, without much preparations to be noticed by observers, due to its proximity to the U.S. mainland.
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many years ago cuba overthrew the colonialist mafia. the us lost. so the us announces indictment on a 94 year old man while accelerating sanctions and illegal blockades making the cuban people suffer. so it ready itself for invasion. the us only relies on gun boat diplomacy and has no other capabilities.
making an old man suffer is pirate necessity ?
propaganda necessity. take anyone who resists foreign invasion, slap some fake claims/charges on them, cry “terrorist”, and then justify invasion. been done with every foreign leader that didn’t bow down to washington: hussein. ghaddafi, maduro, putin, milosovich, etc etc etc.
el pechora sam-3 upgrade can do nothing in venezuela…
usa’s evil empire of thievery, corruption, terrorism and pedophilia is crumbling and now they are taking their frustration out on the honorable and heroic people of cuba.
so when american empire finally fails, its up for grabs? the logic of warmongers. there has to be a reason why the usadmin hasn’t already invaded cuba with its democracy, but they ain’t sayin.
in cuba, the military, the government, and the armed forces are more than united and can stand up to the usa. in venezuela, the opposite happened; there was betrayal by the highest military levels, and they did not fight the enemy, the usa.
“…the history of the communist-ruled nation.”
in communism, there are leaders not rulers.
after repeated humiliations by russia taliban iran we desperate for attention