HAVANA (AP) — A fleet of Russian warships, including a nuclear-powered submarine, left Havana’s port on Monday after a five-day visit to Cuba following planned military drills in the Atlantic Ocean. The exercise has been seen by some as a show of strength by Moscow against the backdrop of tensions as U.S. and other Western nations support Kyiv in Russia’s war on Ukraine.

The submarine, a frigate, an oil tanker and a rescue tug slowly departed from the port on Monday morning.

It’s unclear what the fleet’s next destination is or where it will dock next in the Caribbean, although U.S. officials said days ago that the vessels could possibly also stop in Venezuela.

Officials with the Biden administration said last week that they were monitoring the vessels and confirmed that they did not pose a threat to the region or indicate a transfer of missiles. Still, the United States docked a submarine, the USS Helena, at its Guantanamo Bay Naval Base in Cuba.

The American naval base, located in the southeastern part of the island about 1,000 kilometers (625 miles) from the capital of Havana, is considered by the Cuban government to be illegally occupied territory.

Last week, the Russian ships arrived at the port after the Russian Ministry of Defense reported that the fleet successfully conducted military drills in the Atlantic Ocean, simulating a missile attack on targets that could be more than 600 kilometers (375 miles) away.

The fleet, made up of the frigate “Gorshkov,” the nuclear-powered submarine “Kazan,” the tanker “Pashin,” and the tug “Nikolai Chiker,” was received in Havana with a 21-gun salute.

Cuban President Miguel Díaz-Canel visited the frigate on Saturday and interacted with the sailors, according to a post by the president on the social media platform X, formerly known as Twitter.

Meanwhile, Cuban Deputy Foreign Minister Carlos Fernández de Cossío rejected the presence of the American submarine at Guantanamo Base, stating it was unwelcome and uninvited.

A State Department spokesperson said last week that Russia’s port calls in Cuba are “routine naval visits” and do not pose any danger.

On Thursday, a day after arriving, hundreds of people lined up to visit the frigate. The ship was also open to the public on Saturday, which is a common practice when vessels arrive at the port.

Canada’s navy patrol boat Margaret Brooke entered the Havana harbor on Friday.

An El Paso, Texas, man vacationing at a private resort in Puerto Peñasco, Mexico, has died after getting electrocuted in a hot tub on Tuesday, according to reports.

A local NBC station in El Paso reported that the Mexican State of Sonora General Prosecutor’s Office said the man, only identified as 43-year-old Jorge N., and another person, Lizeth, N., were at the Sonoran Sea Resort and in a hot tub just after 10 p.m.

The prosecutor’s office said possible wiring failure may have caused Jorge to get electrocuted, while Lizeth reportedly suffered life-threatening injuries.

Lizeth was taken to a nearby hospital where she was reportedly informed she suffered from burns consistent with electric shock.

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She was then transported back to the U.S., where she was listed in critical condition, the general prosecutor’s office said.

During the investigation, investigators spoke with someone who is familiar with Jorge and Lizeth, who said she saw the two of them were not moving in the hot tub.

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A man was electrocuted to death, and another person was burned while they were in a hot tub at a resort in Puerto Penasco, Mexico (PEDRO PARDO/AFP via Getty Images)

The witness also reportedly told investigators she attempted to get into the hot tub after discovering the couple was non-responsive, but she was shocked.

The witness told investigators that was the moment she called for help.

The Attorney General’s Office of the State of Sonora is investigating the matter.

From drones to armoured vehicles, to various artillery systems — the world’s largest defence and arms exhibition opened on Monday in Paris, showcasing the latest military technology.

However, the event has been impacted by ongoing worldwide conflicts. For the first time, Israel has been barred from participating in the international defence expo for its offensive in Gaza.

A French district court has ruled that the event organisers must ban anyone working for or representing Israeli firms from participating in the event.

Seventy-four Israeli firms were set to exhibit weapons at the fairground event north of Paris near the international airport before the ongoing legal battle ensued.

The event organiser Coges, led by Charles Beaudoin, has said they would appeal the latest court decision “as soon as possible,” but the exhibition already began Monday and runs until Friday.

Russia and Belarus are also noticeably absent due to the full-scale invasion of Ukraine.

The Eurosatory conference is held every two years and attracts more than 2,000 exhibitors from 61 countries and other entities.

This includes the EU Commission – relatively new to the event – which has ramped up its defence industry strategy since the war in Ukraine.

One of the strategies includes the EDIRPA (European Defence Industry Reinforcement through Common Procurement Act), a plan to incentivise EU member states to buy weapons jointly.

Another is the European Defense Fund (EDF) which provides grants to defence companies gathered in consortia of at least three EU states – another tool to strengthen companies in the face of their American competitors.

“The war in Ukraine has enabled the European Union and the European Commission to get a little more involved in defence issues, particularly defence and armaments,” said Léo Péria-Péigné, arms expert at the French Institute of International Relations (Ifri).

“As a result, they have a more legitimate presence at this show today than they did two years ago. They are willing to invest more in order to carry more weight in the future,” he told Euronews.