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While Cuba continues to endure endless blackouts, Cubadebate decided to publish some photos that looked like they were taken from an alternate galaxy: a sky illuminated by drones, depicting the smiling faces of Nicolás Maduro and Cilia Flores, accompanied by the message “We will overcome.”
According to the official text, it was “a spectacular technological exhibition in support of President Nicolás Maduro and the First Lady,” where hundreds of drones illuminated “the capital's sky”... but in Caracas.
The problem is that the "president" in question is imprisoned in the United States, and the "capital" sky glossed with "revolutionary enthusiasm" by the official media created immediate confusion among readers.
Within minutes, the post sparked an avalanche of sarcasm on social media.
“Those drones have more energy than what was provided to Havana last night”, wrote a user, a phrase that became the refrain of the comments. Another joked: “They should send those drones to Cuba, at least to see if they light up the neighborhood”.
The images showed thousands of bright dots forming figures: a couple that many interpreted as Maduro and his wife; a text that read "I am innocent, I am not guilty"; and another with the slogan "We will prevail."
The staging aimed to be an act of "Bolivarian" solidarity carried out by the leaders of chavismo—those unidentified flying objects that still buzz around Miraflores—but it ended up being the subject of widespread mockery.
“If that was in Cuba, the miracle isn’t the drones, it’s having electricity to charge them”, another commenter joked. “The only light display we see here is when the electricity comes back for five minutes and everyone applauds”, added someone else.
Others were more direct: “With what they spent on that show, they could have repaired a thermoelectric plant” or “Capital city sky from where? Because with so much light, it surely isn't Havana”.
Among the memes that flooded Facebook, one showed drones spelling out the word “S.O.S.” over a map of Cuba; another featured a altered version of the original photo with the text: “We will turn it off”.
The note from Cubadebate —published just three weeks after the capture of Maduro and his wife by a Delta Force unit, in an operation ordered by President Donald Trump—sought to show support for the "Bolivarian leader," but it backfired.
The Cuban sarcasm left no stone unturned: “Maduro is illuminated by drones, we are illuminated by blackouts”; “That’s not artificial intelligence, it’s revolutionary stupidity”; “The only drone that flies in Cuba is the one from the store when the chicken arrives”.
"If they did a show like that here, they would write S.O.S. in the sky... until the lights went out", remarked a user. Another added: "The sky of Caracas filled with lights, and the one in Cuba filled with mosquitoes".
More than a thousand reactions and hundreds of comments turned the post into a session of collective humor. Some compared it to a science fiction movie, while others likened it to political satire. "The show was as real as the reports from MINSAP", wrote one.
There were also political criticisms: “They publish tributes to a narcodictator while the Cuban people are enduring 40 hours without electricity. That is the real news, Cubadebate”. Another remarked: “First lady now, wasn’t she the first combatant? It’s clear they don’t even know the chavista script anymore”.
The context in Venezuela makes the situation even more absurd. Following the capture of Maduro, his wife, and several high-ranking officials, Delcy Rodríguez took on the role of interim president, with support from the Chavista faction that is trying to maintain power while the United States directs the political transition from Caracas.
The supposed drone shows seem like an attempt to keep alive a narrative of resistance that few still believe in.
But in Cuba, where flying a drone remains illegal without authorization from the Ministry of the Interior, the publication of Cubadebate triggered something deeper: a sense of total disconnection between the official press and real life.
“Instead of drones, send electricity. Or bread. Or water. Or shame”, wrote an internet user, and the “likes” quickly multiplied. Another summed up the essence of public sentiment: “The government spends to honor foreign prisoners while the Cuban remains imprisoned by the blackout”.
There was even room for sharper political humor: “Delcy Rodríguez spending on drones to ask for freedom for those she herself delivered”.
“We'll see when the Cuban drones draw Díaz-Canel… but flying towards New York”, joked a user, expressing the expectations of many Cubans. “Neither Chávez lives, nor Maduro returns, nor does the current appear”, concluded another.
In the midst of the energy chaos, the official note ended up serving as a catharsis. “Cubadebate, read your own comments, not one in favor. This seems like black humor sponsored by the UNE”, wrote a reader.
In the end, the drones that were meant to pay homage to the fallen dictator served to illuminate the ingenuity of the Cuban people, who survive through irony and resilience.
Because in Cuba in 2026, with the country in darkness and the refrigerators empty, people are no longer surprised by anything: neither by the blackouts, nor by the tributes to alleged narcoterrorists in prison, nor by the fact that the "capital skies" shown by Cubadebate resemble a poorly told joke.
As commented by one of the most shared users: “While drones draw imaginary heroes, we Cubans continue to illuminate ourselves with sarcasm.”
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