Vladimir Putin summoned the spirit of the Cold War on Tuesday as he unveiled a statue of Fidel Castro and launched a nuclear-powered icebreaker to help Russia dominate the Arctic.
In a snowy Moscow square now named after the former Cuban leader, Putin praised Castro as a great man who stood up to rule by diktat, robbery and neo-colonialism.
The Russian leader stood side-by-side with Miguel Diaz-Canel, the Cuban president who is combining his trip to the Kremlin with visits to China. One of a shrinking number of loyal allies of Moscow, he said that he supported the Kremlin’s invasion of Ukraine.
Earlier in the day, from the warmth of his office in the Kremlin, Putin stood glumly to attention as he watched by teleconference the launch of the Yakutia icebreaker and a flag-raising ceremony over its sister ship the Ural, a move that follows the reopening of Soviet-era naval bases on Russia’s northern shores.
“Both icebreakers are part of our large-scale, systematic work to re-equip and replenish the domestic icebreaker fleet, to strengthen Russia’s status as a great Arctic power,” he said.
The Arctic region has become one of the most contested in the world. Control of it gives countries access to huge oil and gas reserves as well as short trade routes between Europe and Asia.
Global warming has opened up shipping lanes and this summer Putin issued a new doctrine for his navy that put influence over the strategically-important Svalbard archipelago at its core.
In 2007, the Russian adventurer and parliamentarian Artur Chilingarov dived to the bottom of the Arctic Ocean in a mini-submarine to plant a Russian flag directly under the North Pole, sparking outrage from the US, Canada, Norway and Denmark.
The two new icebreakers will join two others already in service, giving Russia what Putin said was the world’s most powerful icebreaker fleet. Another similar icebreaker is planned as well as a “super-powerful” version, named the Rossiya, which he said was without a world rival.
“The development of this most important transport corridor will allow Russia to more fully unlock its export potential and establish efficient logistic routes, including to Southeast Asia,” he said.
The new statue of Castro in Moscow is a contrast with Cuba, itself, where there are no likenesses because the long-term leader said he wanted to avoid a personality cult.
The cigar-loving guerrilla was an ideological Communist and ally of the USSR and led his country between 1959 and 2008. He died in 2016, aged 90. The US considered him an arch-enemy, imposed a trade embargo and tried to overthrow him.
Historians have said that the world came closest to a nuclear war when the USSR positioned ballistic missiles in Cuba in 1962.
Putin praised Castro in a short speech. “He talked about things that are surprisingly resonant with our times, about the formation of a multi-polar world order,” he said. “Fidel Castro dedicated his whole life to the selfless struggle for the triumph of the ideas of goodness, peace and justice.”
Diaz-Canel’s visit was a rarity for an international statesman since Russia invaded Ukraine, and the Kremlin rolled out the red carpet for him. Previously, the Kremlin would have considered Diaz-Canel a second-tier visitor.
Since its invasion of Ukraine, Russia has become a pariah state and Putin has watched even previously reliable allies such as Serbia and Kazakhstan shift towards the West. He has had to be content with visits from leaders of former Soviet states and Africa.