Raúl Castro sent a written message this Saturday to the Ministry of the Interior (MININT) on the occasion of the 65th anniversary of the institution's founding, in which he praised the "unwavering loyalty" of its members and urged them to maintain "order, control, and responsibility" in the "current historic moment."
The text was read at the official event by the minister himself, Army Corps General Lázaro Alberto Álvarez Casas, before the high-ranking officials of the institution gathered at the Karl Marx Theater in Havana, where the nonagenarian Army General made a reappearance after being legally charged in the U.S. two weeks ago for the downing of the planes from Brothers to the Rescue in 1996.
The previous year, on the occasion of the anniversary, Raúl also made an appearance and promoted then Major General Álvarez Casas, a move seen as evidence of his continued influence over the institution.
In his message, the Army General described the MININT as an "indispensable bastion in the defense of the sovereignty and tranquility of the Cuban nation" and acknowledged that its men and women have "faced with courage, dignity, and a high sense of duty the challenges imposed by a variety of circumstances and constant threats."
The call for "order, control, and responsibility" is not empty rhetoric in the current Cuban context: Cuba is experiencing one of its worst crises in decades, with widespread shortages of food, medicine, and fuel, prolonged blackouts, and an unprecedented mass exodus of its population in recent history. Several branches of MININT serve as the regime's main armed force to suppress civic protests.
In this context, Castro also urged the MININT to "strengthen its connection with the people and act with the necessary firmness and sensitivity," a phrasing that combines the language of repression with that of social containment, recalling the role the institution played after the protests of July 11, 2021.
The event organized by the MININT also had a dual political significance: on June 3, just three days prior, Raúl Castro celebrated his 95th birthday, and the anniversary of the institution was explicitly dedicated to Fidel and Raúl Castro, according to reports from official Cuban media.
President Miguel Díaz-Canel delivered the keynote speech at the Karl Marx Theater, where he emphasized the "close bond between a work and a leader" to highlight the historical relationship between Castro and the ministry, describing the political context as a moment of "harassment" from enemies "lacking ethics and principles," according to the Presidency of Cuba.
The reappearance of Castro alongside the MININT forms part of a pattern of intermittent and increasingly mediated appearances throughout 2026: he reappeared in January at the tribute to the 32 Cuban soldiers who died in Venezuela, met with Russian Interior Minister Vladímir Kolokoltsev that same month, and on May 1st, he presided over the event at the Anti-imperialist Tribune, where he was described as “visibly worse for wear”.
In other instances, such as in April and at the end of May, Castro chose to send written congratulations without appearing in person, a pattern that fuels speculation about his actual health status and his ability to exert direct influence over the armed institutions.
The message concluded with a statement that encapsulates the former dictator's position regarding the crisis shaking Cuba: "May this anniversary serve as an encouragement to continue defending with honor and commitment the work of the Revolution and the future of the country."
Filed under: