UPDATE 1-Russia says it will support Cuba as U.S. tightens the 'noose'

Russia ​said on Thursday ​that it would provide ‌active support ​to Cuba despite attempts by the United States to intimidate and ‌tighten the "sanctions noose" around the Communist-run island republic.

The United States announced murder charges against former President Raúl Castro on Wednesday, ‌a major escalation in Washington's campaign against Cuba, where ‌Castro's communists have been in charge since his late brother Fidel Castro led a revolution in 1959. "We will continue to provide ⁠the ​most active ⁠support to the fraternal Cuban people during this extremely difficult period," Russian Foreign ⁠Ministry spokeswoman Maria Zakharova told reporters.

"We reaffirm our full solidarity ​with Cuba and strongly condemn any attempts at gross ⁠interference in the internal affairs of a sovereign state, intimidation, and ⁠the ​use of illegal unilateral restrictive measures, threats, and blackmail." Zakharova gave no details of the support that Russia ⁠would provide but said the United States was showing its "intolerance towards ⁠any form ⁠of dissent and a cynical embodiment of the revived Monroe Doctrine."