Marco Rubio warns Russia could be on the move in Cuba
Florida Republican tells 'Special Report' there is no 'doubt' in his mind if Cuba asks for Russia's help they will provide it
Sen. Marco Rubio, R-Fla., warned that Russian assets are already in Cuba and have been for some time, further declaring that the heir to the Castro brothers' communist dictatorship has lost its legitimacy to govern.
The Cuban communist regime, currently headed by President Miguel Diaz-Canel, has lost that legitimacy, the senator told "Special Report" on Monday.
Earlier this month, pro-democracy protesters took to the streets across the island nation—in defiance of the ruthless regime's stranglehold on public demonstrations—to call for human rights and basic necessities.
As tensions boiled over in Havana, Cuban refugees, expatriates and their families came out in a massive show of solidarity with the Cuban people in demonstrations across the Sunshine state.
"Cuba today is basically in a state of martial law and in many of the major cities across the country, troops are stationed—security forces are stationed—and the message is clear. They are also continuing to repress people," Rubio said, adding that in the wake of Diaz-Canel shutting down civilians' internet access, reports are still coming out of the country of torture and "abductions" of Cuban citizens by the government.
"This the is model [the regime in Havana has] followed a long time. The only difference between now and the past some of it is being documented and posted on social media for the world to see," he said.
Rubio went on to warn that Cuba's ally Russia is essentially on-call for the Diaz-Canel regime, and could set up a very tenuous situation for Florida and the United States, should Kremlin resources amass just 90 miles offshore.
"Russia is already there. They have an intelligence station and so do the Chinese," Rubio warned. "It's the model they follow everywhere in the world. It may not eve be directly Russian troops [but] private contractors that are basically Russian troops that they send around the world."
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"But this is what they have done in place after place—in Venezuela and Syria and eastern Ukraine and so there is no doubt in my mind that if the Cuba government requests it, the Russian will provide that."
Rubio underlined that that fact should be top of mind for President Biden.
"This is a bloodbath 90 miles off of our shores. It's destabilizing. I want to know what Joe Biden is going to do when 1,000 special forces from Russia arrive on Cuban territory to help the Cuba regime. That's what's coming next," Rubio said.