Related videos:
The journalist Mario J. Pentón revealed never-before-seen images of the precarious defense aircraft of the Cuban regime amid intense pressure from Washington to force a change of government on the island.
The exiled military officer Luis Domínguez, from the Cuban Historical Resistance Front (FRHC), stated in comments to the reporter that the last significant shipment of modern weaponry received by Cuba dates back to the 1990s, when Russia was still maintaining logistical ties with the regime in Havana after the fall of the Soviet Union.
Since the 1990s, Cuba has not acquired state-of-the-art military equipment. What they showcase today in parades or defense exercises is refurbished Soviet equipment, much of which is inoperative, asserted Domínguez, who was an officer in the Cuban military intelligence before seeking asylum in the United States.
The statements align with reports from the Stockholm International Peace Research Institute (SIPRI), which indicates that Cuba has not made any purchases of foreign arms since 1991.
His arsenal depends on old Soviet shipments from the 1970s and 1980s, including AKM rifles, T-55 and T-62 tanks, BM-21 rocket launchers, MiG-21 and MiG-23 fighter jets, the majority of which lack maintenance and official spare parts.
The information comes to light following the recent weeks in which the regime in Havana showcased its worn and battered military arsenal against the backdrop of increasing pressure from the United States to promote change on the island after the capture of Nicolás Maduro in Venezuela.
The unpublished images shared by Pentón reveal the deterioration and abandonment of combat aircraft on the island, while others shared by official Castro accounts show young soldiers training with rusty weapons, without helmets or protection, and in precarious conditions.
Under the leadership of President Donald Trump and Secretary of State Marco Rubio, the United States has intensified the political and economic clampdown on the Cuban regime, while demanding allies like Mexico and Venezuela to cease any energy or military support to Havana.
According to the Global Firepower 2026 index, Cuba ranks 117 out of 145 countries in global military capacity, below nations like Haiti and Paraguay.
Its air forces barely maintain a dozen operational MiG fighter jets, and the naval fleet is limited to coastal patrol boats and light vessels without offensive capability.
Filed under: