Russia and Cuba are linked by long, more than a century-long relations. However, the first embassy of Cuba in Moscow opened only eleven years after the official establishment of diplomatic relations.
Relationship start
The first Russian travelers reached Liberty Island in 1774 under the leadership of Fedor Karzhavin, who traveled around America. And already in 1826, the Russian government sent its first consul to Havana, which at that time was under the control of the Spaniards.
In 1895-1898, there was a war in Cuba for independence from the Spanish Empire, in which numerous Russian volunteers took part. In this struggle, the island managed to defend its independence, and in 1902 Russia recognized the independence of the republic.
It was assumed that the Cuban embassy in Moscow would soon appear, but the opening of the diplomatic mission dragged on for eleven years. Only in 1913 a full-fledged representation of the island was opened in Russia.
Soviet period of relations
After the October Revolution, Cuba broke off diplomatic relations with Russia, and again they were established only in 1942, however, with the onset of the Cold War, relations began to deteriorate.
The embassy of the Republic of Cuba in Moscow once again stopped its work in 1952, when Stalin terminated relations with the republic due to a coup d'etat. After seven years, a revolution occurred in Cuba, as a result of which Fidel Castro came to power, which allowed the resumption of diplomatic relations in 1960.
After the Cuban revolution, relations between the two countries became so friendly that the USSR decided to deploy nuclear missiles on the island, resulting in a diplomatic crisis that went down in history as the Caribbean. The United States and the Soviet Union were on the brink of nuclear war, but the situation was resolved peacefully.
Modern Russian-Cuban relations
Although relations between Russia and Cuba have become less intense since the collapse of the Soviet Union, Freedom Island remains a constant and reliable ally in the Western Hemisphere.
Commodity circulation between the countries is growing steadily, numerous tourists from Russia spend wonderful vacations on the beaches of Cuba, and that, in turn, continues to supply sugar and rum to the Russian Federation.
Before the beginning of the 2000s, Cuba had an electronic intelligence station, which was closed as part of establishing relations between Russia and the United States. It is worth saying that Cuba is separated from the United States by only one hundred and fifty kilometers of water in the Strait of Florida.
The Cuban Embassy in Moscow regularly arranges business project presentations, inviting major Russian companies to participate. The main goods supplied from Russia to Cuba are oil and oil products.
Embassy of the Republic of Cuba in Moscow
Despite the fact that Russians can stay in Cuba without a visa for thirty days, the need for consular services still sometimes arises. First of all, the need for consular services arises among Russians married to Cuban citizens, as well as among Cubans who permanently reside in Russia.
The consular section of the Cuban Embassy in Moscow is located at 66 Bolshaya Ordynka Street, it is engaged in legalization of documents, exchange of passports, and also helps citizens in difficult situations. Since 2018, the Plenipotentiary Ambassador of the Russian Federation to the Russian Federation has been Gerardo Penalver Portal.
The historic mansion in which the diplomatic mission is located deserves special mention. At the beginning of the LX century, on the site of a modern house was the estate of a wealthy aristocrat Karpova, but at the end of the century the building was rebuilt by new owners, as a result of which it acquired a modern outline.