Russia issued a warning on Thursday, cautioning against any “provocative actions” following an incident involving the country’s coast guard and a U.S.-registered speedboat that resulted in at least four fatalities.
This statement from Russia follows comments by the Secretary of State, who indicated that the U.S. would gather its “own information” regarding Wednesday’s event and “respond appropriately based on what that information tells us.”
Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov stated on Thursday, “The situation around Cuba, as we can see, is heating up. The main thing is the humanitarian component. All humanitarian issues concerning Cuban citizens must be resolved, and no one should create obstacles.”
He further added, “As for security around the island, it is, of course, very important that everyone remain restrained and refrain from any provocative actions.”
According to the Cuban foreign ministry, Cuban officials reported that five service members approached a vessel detected within Cuban territorial waters. The occupants of this vessel then reportedly opened fire on Cuban troops, who returned fire. The ministry stated that “four aggressors on the foreign vessel were killed and six were injured,” and the commander of the Cuban vessel also sustained injuries.
Cuban officials additionally asserted that the ten individuals aboard the Florida-registered boat were armed Cubans residing in the U.S., allegedly attempting to infiltrate the island to instigate terrorism.
The Associated Press reported that Cuba’s government further claimed that most of the ten individuals on the boat “have a known history of criminal and violent activity.”
Data obtained by Digital indicates that the vessel, registered in Florida under the number FL7726SH, is a 24-foot Pro-Line boat.
Rubio commented on Wednesday, stating, “Suffice it to say, it is highly unusual to see shootouts in the open sea like that. It’s not something that happens every day. It’s something, frankly, that hasn’t happened with Cuba in a very long time. But we’re going to find out. We’re not going to base our conclusions on what they’ve told us. And I’m very, very confident that we will know the full story of what happened here, and we will know it soon. And then, you know, we’ll respond appropriately based on what that information tells us.”
U.S. Attorney Jason Reding Quiñones of the Southern District of Florida stated that, “Today’s reports indicate that four people aboard a Florida-registered vessel were killed, and several others wounded, during a deadly gunfire exchange off the coast of Cuba. This is a tragic and deeply concerning event. The Cuban regime asserts their forces were fired upon, but the facts remain unclear and conflicting.”
He further added, “We are using all available federal tools to understand exactly what happened, who was involved, and whether U.S. citizens or lawful residents were among the casualties. We are committed to a thorough, impartial, and fact-based investigation.”
Reporting by Digital’s Rachel Wolf, Emma Bussey and