The Cuban regime held the 2026 University Student Bastion Exercise this Friday at all higher education institutions across the country. Activities included shooting practices with AK rifles, assembly and disassembly of anti-tank and anti-personnel mines, and combat drills, in an event that lasted from 08:30 to 13:00 in municipalities throughout all provinces.
The exercise, called by the University Student Federation (FEU) in coordination with the Ministry of Revolutionary Armed Forces (MINFAR) and the FAR, was not limited to university youth: the systematic militarization promoted by the regime since January 2026 also affects school-age children, who are integrated into the structures of the so-called "war of the entire people."
The MINFAR justified the day with a message on its social media: "The defense of the homeland is the duty of every Cuban, our conception of the war of the entire people is a sacred feeling."
In Camagüey, the Municipal University Centers of Jimaguayú and Sierra de Cubitas participated with general training, military preparation, and discussions with veterans of the Asociación de Combatientes de la Revolución Cubana (ACRC).
The Universidad de Camagüey "Ignacio Agramonte Loynaz" described the event as "a vital space to consolidate the indissoluble unity between the university, the people, and the FAR".
In Matanzas, students gathered at the Buey Vaca Shooting Range, with participation from the University of Medical Sciences.
The University Bastion 2026 was dedicated to the centennial of Fidel Castro's birth and the 65th anniversary of the victory at Playa Girón, and it is part of the official declaration of 2026 as the "Year of Preparation for Defense."
This statement came after the capture of Venezuelan dictator Nicolás Maduro by U.S. forces on January 3, 2026, an operation in which 32 Cuban soldiers who were part of his personal security detail died.
Since then, the National Defense Council, chaired by Raúl Castro, approved plans for transitioning to a State of War and the regime has intensified military exercises every Saturday, with maneuvers that include drones, rockets, AK-47 rifles, and even oxen teams for roadblocks.
The Western Army declared in March that it was ready to face elite units like the U.S. Delta Force, a statement that generated widespread mockery on social media due to the outdated nature of the displayed weaponry.
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