Russia warns against ‘provocative actions’ around Cuba after 4 killed onboard US-registered speedboat

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Cuban Coast Guard kills 4 on US-registered boat

International legal expert Eugene Kontorovich discusses the Cuban Coast Guard shooting of four people on a U.S.-registered boat and analyzes U.S.demands for Iran, including abandoning its nuclear weapons and missile programs.

Russia warned Thursday against any “provocative actions”around Cuba after a shootoutbetween the country’s coast guard and a U.S.-registered speedboat that left at least four dead.

The remark comes after Secretary of StateMarco Rubiosaid the U.S.was “going to have our own information” on Wednesday’s incident, and that “we’ll respond appropriately based on what that information tells us.”

“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,” Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov said Thursday,according to Reuters.

“As for security around the island, it is, of course, very important that everyone remain restrained and refrain from any provocative actions,” he added.

Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov, left, and Secretary of State Marco Rubio.(Maxim Shemetov/Reuters;Ken Cedeno/Reuters)

Cuban officials say five service members approached theFlorida-registered speedboatdetected within Cuban territorial waters.Occupants then opened fire on Cuban troops, who returned fire, according to the Cuban foreign ministry. The ministry reported that “four aggressors on the foreign vessel were killed and six were injured.” The Cuban vessel’s commander was also injured, according to the ministry.

Cuban officials also claimed the 10 passengers on the Florida-registered boat were armed Cubans living in the U.S.who were trying to infiltrate the island and unleash terrorism.

Cuba’s government added that the majority of the 10 people on the boat “have a known history of criminal and violent activity,” The Associated Press reported.

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The Cuban Coast Guard tows a boat attempting to leave the country in Havana in December 2022.(Yamil Lage/AFP via Getty Images)

“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,” Rubio said Wednesday.“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 from the Southern District of Floridaalso said Wednesdaythat, “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.”

Secretary of State Marco Rubio called Wednesday’s incident “highly unusual.”(Kevin Mohatt/Reuters)

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“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,” he added.

�s Rachel Wolf, Emma Bussey and The Associated Press contributed to this report.