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The opposition leader José Daniel Ferrer, founder of the Patriotic Union of Cuba (UNPACU), published a message on Monday directed at his fellow countrymen, in which he described the Cuban regime as a "cancer" and warned that, if the Castros and Miguel Díaz-Canel do not voluntarily relinquish power, a "surgical military operation" will take place that, according to him, will not harm the people.
"If the Castros and their puppet Díaz-Canel do not leave and allow freedom and democracy to bring dignity and well-being to all Cubans, then there will be a surgical military operation that will cause you no harm," wrote Ferrer on the social network X.
The opposition leader described that hypothetical intervention as an action aimed at "eradicating the cancer that causes you so much harm, to save you from oppression, repression, extreme misery, hunger, blackouts, the lack of medicine and adequate medical care, the transportation crisis, housing, and all the serious problems you endure."
The message is explicitly directed at Cuban military personnel of all ranks: soldiers, sergeants, lieutenants, captains, majors, and lieutenant colonels, whom Ferrer urges not to defend the regime.
"If you are an intelligent and reasonable Cuban, you will do nothing to defend the tyranny that harms you so much. The Castros and their band of criminals are your worst enemies," he stated.
Ferrer also described the Castros and Díaz-Canel as "exploiters and thieves who must be held accountable before justice" and concluded his message with a reference to José Martí, predicting "the beginning of a new Cuba truly 'with all and for the good of all'."
The statements made this Monday are part of a sustained escalation of rhetoric by the opposition throughout 2026.
On May 2, from the Madrid-Barajas airport, he had already resorted to a medical metaphor by stating that “I prefer chemotherapy and radiotherapy to eliminate the cancer”, referring to the regime.
On May 15, Ferrer stated that the United States has "all the moral, legal, military, economic, and political strength to end the Cuban dictatorship.
Three days later, on May 18, Díaz-Canel responded on X that a military aggression from Washington "will provoke a bloodbath of incalculable consequences" and described it as an "international crime."
Ferrer rejected that warning from the Netherlands emphatically: "Stop trying to scare people. Nobody can believe that."
The opposition leader has been on a tour of Europe seeking support for the "Cuba Liberation Agreement" for several weeks, in a context marked by the maximum pressure from the Trump administration on Havana and the precedent of the fall of the Nicolás Maduro regime in Venezuela, which Ferrer repeatedly cites as an example.
In January 2026, Ferrer had already addressed a letter to the Cuban military in which he described Cuba as going through "its worst crisis in seven decades."
"The end of tyranny is just around the nearest corner," wrote Ferrer on May 22, in what appears to be the precursor to the message published this Monday.
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