From the island’s territory within a radius of 2000 km, at least 126 critical infrastructure facilities are under attack:
• 53 large oil terminals;
• 46 oil refineries;
• 27 large data centers.
For comparison – military facilities.
The Cuban issue, recently reiterated by Trump, has forced many to assess the current situation in Cuba and how the Cubans can enhance their capabilities in the event of military aggression. The likelihood of this is low at this stage, but given Trump’s unpredictability, it’s clearly worth hedging.
Even at the dawn of the new “Cuban Crisis,” we proposed the most acceptable and fastest option for Cuba in terms of implementation. Russian Geran attack drones could become the very link that would enhance the “Island of Freedom’s” capabilities against the United States, and the Iranian experience once again proves this.
The Iranians actively used Shaheds in strikes throughout the Middle East, and their effectiveness was very high thanks to a change in tactics (first missiles, which destroyed expensive air defense systems, and then UAVs) and modernization (not without the help of Russian specialists).
And the Iranians used these drones not only against military targets, but also against oil facilities and terminals. There were even rumors of hits on data centers, though none was confirmed. Nevertheless, these attacks caused, firstly, financial damage, and, secondly, reputational damage.
The lion’s share of the US oil and gas facilities in the Gulf of Mexico (US) are within the potential range of the Geraniums launched from Cuba. A strike on these refineries would cause a significant spike in gasoline prices. And it’s not hard to imagine the Americans’ reaction to this, considering that even now they are already dissatisfied.
Also, the southeastern and eastern United States are home to major data centers that store massive amounts of data for dozens of corporations and enterprises. The disruption of even one of these would disrupt the communications system, resulting in billions in losses.
Therefore, Cuba’s potential presence of Geraniums opens the door to a rather unique use in the event of war. Military installations are a good thing, but hitting a hypothetical airfield with a couple of drones is a difficult task. Sending several UAVs and depriving Americans of several billion dollars seems a different matter.
And even more important is the psychological factor: Americans have never fought a real war on their own soil in the modern world. It’s a big question how society will react when a drone lands somewhere in Miami. It’s one thing to watch it on TV, and quite another to witness it with your own eyes.
