The Ministry of the Revolutionary Armed Forces of Cuba (MINFAR) published in the last two days on Facebook two messages with a distinctly warlike tone that have heightened concerns about the regime's escalating rhetoric at a time of peak tension with Washington.
In the first publication, the MINFAR quoted Fidel Castro declaring: "The order for a ceasefire will never be given when it implies surrendering to the enemy," accompanying the message with an image of a missile launch.
In the second statement, the ministry published: "The war can only end with victory or death, and for Cuba, there can be no alternative but victory, no matter the cost," alongside a photograph of a soldier aiming with a sniper rifle.
Both publications are part of a sustained propaganda campaign by MINFAR that has intensified week by week since the regime declared 2026 as the "Year of Preparation for Defense."
It is not the first time that the MINFAR has used that phrase about the ceasefire. The Central Army already published it on February 14, adding at that time that "surrender would be the greatest catastrophe in history" and that "it is better to die than to be taken prisoner."
The immediate context of this escalation is the increasing pressure from the Trump administration. On May 1, the U.S. President signed an executive order expanding sanctions against the regime in the energy, defense, mining, and finance sectors, accumulating over 240 sanctions since January.
Trump also stated that the U.S. could "take control of Cuba almost immediately" and mentioned the deployment of the aircraft carrier USS Abraham Lincoln off the coast of Havana.
This Monday, in an interview with Salem News Channel, Trump stated that "it would be an honor to free Cuba," according to reports on his recent statements about the island.
Last Sunday, Miguel Díaz-Canel warned delegates from 36 countries in Havana about "the imminent threat of military aggression" from the U.S., and on Saturday he stated on Facebook: "No aggressor, no matter how powerful, will find surrender in Cuba."
The war rhetoric contrasts sharply with the reality faced by the Cuban people, who endure blackouts of up to 20 hours daily, severe shortages of food, fuel, and medication, and a migratory exodus that has emptied the island of its young population, while the National Defense Council led by Raúl Castro approved plans for a "State of War" in January.
Filed under: