MOSCOW — Claiming that the recent movement of U.S. military forces further into Cuban territory was a "dangerous provocation," Russian President Vladimir Putin told reporters Tuesday he was "deeply concerned" that geopolitics was starting to return to the era of the Cold War.

"We are now deeply concerned by reports of military movements taken by the United States inside Cuba," Putin said to reporters in a brief statement from Moscow. "We do not want to return to a Cold War standoff with the Americans. That is absolutely not in our national interest."

In recent days, unidentified armed men have seized key areas of the tiny Caribbean island, leading Cuban President Raul Castro to denounce the action as an "armed invasion." The troops, who wear no insignia but are armed with American-made weapons, were seen setting up roadblocks and portable toilets they could masturbate in for as long as the deployment lasted.