Cuban youth to the military in Cuba: “It was officers like you who made the right decision when the time came.”



"History will remember whether they chose to remain the armed wing of four families or to become the officers who restored the honor of the armed forces and saved Cuba from more bloodshed and misery."

Ernesto Medina (El4tico)Photo © Instagram / El4tico

The Cuban artist Ernesto Medina, known as Tico and creator of the project El4tico, posted a video on his Instagram account along with the hashtag #militar, in which he directed a message to the Cuban officers in command of troops, urging them to reflect on their role in the future of the country.

“Comrade Colonel, Lieutenant Colonel, Major... you who have real command over the troops, as a conscious young Cuban, I recognize that today the effective power in Cuba is not found in the offices of the fossils, nor among their millionaire relatives; it is in your units, in your battalions,” he says at the beginning of the message shared last November.

The creator argues that if the middle management were to coordinate, they could temporarily take control of the country "to ensure order, protect the people, and convene free elections." In his analysis, he points out that the military leadership "lives too well" and belongs to the family circle of power, while the officers who are not part of that core "have yet to cross the necessary lines to coordinate out of fear or to maintain small privileges."

In the video, he warns: "Someday, the people will be fed up and will pour into the streets en masse: your neighbor, your civilian friends, maybe your own children, and this is not going to be pleasant. Are you really so blind as to not want to accept that this situation has gone to hell, that they completely screwed us over, my friend? Everyone, and yes, you too."

The publication also includes historical references to episodes where military forces assumed leadership in political change processes: the Revolution of the Free Officers in Egypt (1952), the military coup in Turkey (1960), the Carnation Revolution in Portugal (1974), and the fall of the Military Junta in Greece (1974). In these cases, Medina points out, “it was officers like you” who made the decisions to restore civilian power.

"You who also stand in line and see your children wanting to leave... when the time comes, and it will come, history will remember whether you chose to continue being the armed wing of four families or to become the officers who restored the honor of the Armed Forces and saved Cuba from more bloodshed and misery," he expresses in closing.

The video, published on November 25, 2025, has garnered over 28,000 reactions and thousands of comments. Among them, numerous users described the message as brave and heartfelt, with expressions such as "You are very brave, may God protect you," "This is the kind of content that should go viral," or "Please, those close to this man, take good care of him."

Others combined the seriousness of the message with typical Cuban humor, referring to the fan that appears in the background of the video: "The fan represents the FAR: it sees everything but doesn't fulfill its true function," wrote one. Another commented: "The fan is like Cuba: it spins, but doesn't move."

In other publications, El4tico had addressed political and social issues on the island. In December 2025, the project analyzed the reasons why the Cuban regime refuses to grant amnesty to political prisoners, recalling that “the Cuban regime learned the most important lesson in 1955: ‘Never let go of anyone who could overthrow you later.’”

And in recent days, they participated alongside influencer Ana Sofía Benítez Silvente in an analysis of the United States embargo, where both pointed out that “the real problem lies in a system that clings to authoritarian control and lack of transparency,” and argued that the crisis in Cuba is not primarily due to the U.S. embargo.

Among the messages received in response to his publication directed at the military, many users expressed admiration and concern for the artist. "God bless you," "You are very brave, may God protect you," and "Please, those close to this man, take good care of him," were some of the most repeated reactions. Others highlighted the impact of the speech—"This is the kind of content that should go viral"—while some maintained the characteristic humor of the Cuban public with phrases like "The fan represents the FAR: it sees everything but doesn't fulfill its true function" or "The fan is like Cuba: it spins but doesn't move."

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CiberCuba Editorial Team

A team of journalists committed to reporting on Cuban current affairs and topics of global interest. At CiberCuba, we work to deliver truthful news and critical analysis.