The Cuban regime disclosed on January 15 the profiles of the 32 military personnel who died in Venezuela during the operation that ended with the capture of Nicolás Maduro, a belated admission that contradicts years of official denials regarding the presence of Cuban troops in security operations for chavismo.
The biographies, under the slogan "Honor and Glory," confirm that the deceased belonged to the Revolutionary Armed Forces (FAR) and the Ministry of the Interior (MININT), many of them connected to the Personal Security Directorate.
They all died in the early hours of January 3, 2026, during the operation authorized by President Donald Trump and carried out by the elite unit Delta Force of the U.S. Army.
The profiles reveal a repeated pattern, with men from various generations and ranks—from young soldiers to colonels with decades of service—mostly originating from the eastern part of the country, sent to fulfill an "internationalist mission" that officially did not exist. Many had technical training or civilian work backgrounds before being integrated into the military and security apparatus.
The official narrative reiterates common elements such as their involvement in the UJC and the Communist Party, participation in "operational assurances," and posthumous promotions as a symbolic conclusion to each story. There are no references to wives, children, or families, nor details about the type of mission they were carrying out in Venezuela.
The publication of the profiles occurs alongside a wide range of tributes and public events in Cuba, including funerals, official marches, and the reappearance of Raúl Castro during the reception of the remains in Havana.
Days before, the leader Miguel Díaz-Canel called the U.S. military involved in the operation “cowards” while praising the “sacrifice” of the Cuban escorts.
Beyond the epic discourse, the revelation exposes a long-denied truth: the direct implication of Cuba in the security of the Chavista regime and the human cost of a political alliance that, once again, ended up being paid far from home.
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