Russian warships and aircraft enter the Caribbean for military exercises

HAVANA (AP) — A fleet of Russian warships and aircraft have entered the Caribbean in what some see as a projection of strength as tensions grow over Western support for Ukraine. The U.S. military expects the exercises will involve a handful of Russian ships and support vessels, which may also stop in Venezuela. Russia is a longtime ally of Venezuela and Cuba, and its warships and aircraft have periodically made forays into the Caribbean. But this mission comes less than two weeks after President Joe Biden authorized Ukraine to use U.S.-provided weapons to strike inside Russia to protect Kharkiv, Ukraine’s second-largest city.