Cuban-Russian Relations

Cuba’s unpredictable shift toward socialism and its growing dependence on the Soviet Union divided both the leadership and the country at large. With a relationship dating back to before Fidel Castro’s installment into power, Russia and Cuba have both played major roles in the development and regression of each other’s economies and societies.

The first official diplomatic relationship between the Soviet Union and Cuba began developing during World War II, in 1943. With the establishment of the first Soviet embassy by Maxim Litvinov, stationed in Havana, Cuba; this was after Cuba gained its independence from the United States in 1902 and the Russian Revolution in 1917. Litvinov was a Russian revolutionary and a conspicuous Soviet ambassador. Due to communist action taking place within Russia, Cuba temporarily terminated the relationship. Russia saw Cuba as unimportant territory, mainly because of how close it was to the United States, its size, and its remoteness away from Russia; making it harder to defend . The relationship was officially confirmed and expressed when Cuban representatives visited Moscow, Russia later in 1943. Fifteen years later, Fidel Castro, a communist revolutionary and politician who promised and ensured Cubans freedom, led what is known today as the Cuban Revolution. Often referred to as the “26th of July Movement”, the armed revolt that began in 1956 and lasting until ’59, resulted in the successful overthrow of Fulgencio Batista, a brutal Cuban dictator sponsored by the United States. With the use of guerilla warfare, Castro over threw Batista. After the fall and exile of Batista, Castro was sworn into office as prime minister of Cuba and transformed the country into an important aspect of the Sovie...

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...t mutual cooperation on high technology. This would ultimately intensify the partnership in biological medicine, genetic engineering and telecommunications. Russia later shared weaponries production technology with Cuba by supplying a military facility near Havana, Cuba with a line that would yield to cartridges; specifically ones fashioned to be used with Russian weaponry. Cuba and Russia constantly aid one another after natural disasters - those like Hurricane Sandy that struck Cuba in 2012, with economic relief – a plan was settled that eliminated around 90 percent of Cuba’s $32 billion debt that was owed to Russia, with artillery – by providing one another with the more advanced technology needed to boost their counties defense systems. Plenty of possible investments and trades open up between the two, leading to more prosperous economies and societies.