Moscow, February 26, 2026 (RT) — Russian Foreign Ministry spokesperson Maria Zakharova stated Thursday that the speedboat incident off the coast of Cuba was orchestrated by Washington to sharpen regional tensions.

"This is an aggressive provocation by the United States, whose purpose is to escalate the situation and detonate conflict," the diplomat said during an interview.

What Happened?

Last Wednesday, Cuba's Ministry of the Interior reported that in the early morning hours, a high-speed vessel bearing Florida registration FL7726SH was detected operating unlawfully within Cuban territorial waters. The boat approached within one nautical mile northeast of the El Pino channel, near Cayo Falcones, in the municipality of Corralillo, Villa Clara province.

"As a surface unit of the Border Guard Troops of the Ministry of the Interior, manned by five personnel, approached the vessel for identification purposes, fire was opened from the offending boat against Cuban forces, resulting in injury to the commander of the Cuban vessel," read the official statement issued by the ministry.

A confrontation ensued, during which "four aggressors were killed and six were wounded," according to Cuban authorities. The injured were evacuated and received medical attention.

The Interior Ministry confirmed that investigations are underway to fully establish the facts of the incident. It further warned that "in the face of current challenges, Cuba reaffirms its commitment to protecting its territorial waters, on the basis that national defense is a fundamental pillar of the Cuban state in service of the protection of its sovereignty and regional stability."