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A Russian spy ship turned up at a Havana port Wednesday, without any explanation from Cuba, as Moscow announced plans to expand its worldwide military presence.

Neither Communist Cuba nor its state media explained why the vessel visited the island, but its arrival was reminiscent of the Cold War era, when the former Soviet Union was Cuba’s biggest ally and benefactor.

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The Viktor Leonov CCB-175 intelligence ship docked near the Russian Orthodox Cathedral, in Havana’s cruise ship area, AFP reported.

The warship is 91.5 metres long and 14.5 meters wide. It was commissioned in 1988 — three years before the collapse of the Soviet Union — and is used for gathering intelligence. According to AFP, it went into service in the Black Sea, but was transferred to Russia’s northern fleet seven years later.

The Vishnya or Meridian-class intelligence ship is reportedly armed with two 30 mm gun-defence systems and two surface-to-air missile systems. It has a crew of about 200, according to the AFP.