"Faced with the threats of the Yankee Empire, we reaffirm our loyalty to the legacy of our heroes, of Fidel and Chávez," wrote Cuban President Miguel Díaz-Canel after signing the Book of Condolences open at the Venezuelan Embassy in Havana on Tuesday, in tribute to the 32 Cuban soldiers who lost their lives during the operation that culminated in the capture of Nicolás Maduro on January 3rd.
In his message, the president added: “The vile and criminal attack on sister Venezuela and the kidnapping of President Nicolás Maduro Moros and his partner Cilia Flores has caused great pain and indignation among the Cuban people.” Díaz-Canel also extended “our genuine and heartfelt condolences, and a revolutionary tribute to the women and men of Venezuela, as well as to the 32 Cuban fighters who gave their lives in defense of Venezuela, in defense of Cuba, in defense of Latin America and the Caribbean.”
The president concluded his dedication with the slogans "Honor and glory to our heroes. Fatherland or Death! We shall overcome! Until victory always!" The message was disseminated by the Presidency of Cuba on Facebook and on its official account on X, along with photographs of the event at the diplomatic headquarters.
The ceremony was attended by high-ranking officials of the regime, including Esteban Lazo Hernández, President of the National Assembly of People's Power; Manuel Marrero Cruz, Prime Minister; Roberto Morales Ojeda, Secretary of Organization of the Communist Party of Cuba; Bruno Rodríguez Parrilla, Minister of Foreign Affairs; Emilio Lozada García, Head of the Department of International Relations of the Central Committee of the PCC; and the Venezuelan ambassador to Cuba, Orlando Maneiro.
According to the state press, the Book of Condolences has been signed in recent days by Cuban authorities, diplomats, and representatives of institutions, in what has been described as a tribute to the "people shaken since the early morning of January 3 by the criminal attack and kidnapping of President Maduro and his partner Cilia."
Díaz-Canel's statements come just days after the Cuban government officially acknowledged the presence of troops from the island in Venezuela, after years of denying it. The newspaper Granma published a statement confirming that the deceased "were carrying out missions on behalf of the FAR and MININT, at the request of counterpart agencies from the South American country." This admission marked a shift in the official narrative, which for over a decade had publicly restricted cooperation with Caracas to civil programs.
The regime disclosed the identities of the 32 Cuban soldiers who died in Venezuela, including colonels and majors from the Revolutionary Armed Forces and the Ministry of the Interior. The deceased were part of Nicolás Maduro's personal security detail.
Díaz-Canel, for his part, described as "cowardly and illegal" the U.S. military personnel who participated in the capture of Maduro, carried out by the Delta Force under the authorization of President Donald Trump, as confirmed by official sources in Washington.
The Cuban government has announced tributes and funerals for the deceased, whose remains will arrive on January 15 at José Martí Airport. The following day, the so-called "March of the Fighting People" will take place, followed by the burial of the bodies in military cemeteries in their home provinces.
The event on Tuesday took place as Venezuela undergoes a political transition led by Delcy Rodríguez as interim president, following the arrest of Nicolás Maduro by U.S. forces on January 3.
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