Related videos:
The great Cuban chess master Lázaro Bruzón delivered a direct and impactful message this week on his social media against the so-called "cyber combatants" of the Cuban regime, stating that "free Cubans speak from real profiles" and that the digital supporters of the regime "do not show their faces" and have "offense as their only argument."
The chess player, who has been living in Missouri since his exile in 2018, concluded his publication with a statement rich in the symbolism characteristic of his discipline: "Checkmate, just give up."
In a second post on Facebook, Bruzón expanded his critique with irony: “For every claria, there are 1,000 Cubans denouncing the dictatorship, but they, like the Comandante, turn setbacks into victories.”
The term "ciberclarias" —used pejoratively— refers to digital activists linked to the Communist Party of Cuba and organizations such as the Committees for the Defense of the Revolution, who operate on social media to defend the official narrative, attack opponents, and amplify government messages, often from anonymous accounts or with fake photos.
In 2024, the CDR promoted a sticker with the slogan "My mobile is my rifle", highlighting the institutionalization of this practice of digital mobilization by the regime.
Bruzón's posts generated a wide response among Cuban internet users both inside and outside the island, who agreed in pointing out that the profiles defending the regime mostly operate from fake accounts, while critics do so with their identities visible.
An internet user summarized the widespread perception with a brief phrase: "Fear has changed its location."
Another pointed out that "90% of the accounts defending communism are fake accounts or accounts without a real profile picture," and added: "Data, not opinions."
Several commentators pointed to a possible motivation behind the anonymity: "They do it because they know that change is imminent and want to enjoy democracy without anyone being able to link them to their past as cyber henchmen," wrote one of them.
Since the second post, another user pointed out the fundamental difference between both sides: "We do it for free, with personal profiles and out of conviction, whereas they do everything with fake profiles."
Bruzón's statements are part of a consistent trajectory of criticism against the regime since his exile. In May 2026, he stated that indoctrination in Cuba "leads to fanaticism, incapacitates critical thinking, and often logic as well," and in February he pointed out that the regime has "sunk the country since 1959".
In April, the chess player was even more direct in stating that "every Cuban who leaves Cuba becomes an enemy of the regime." and that the authorities are "sick with power."
Bruzón, born in Holguín in 1982, earned the title of Grandmaster at the age of 17, was the world youth champion in 2000, and reached an ELO of 2,717 in 2012, placing him among the top 30 players in the world.
Her words resonate against the backdrop of a Cuba experiencing an unprecedented multidimensional crisis: massive blackouts, shortages of food, fuel, and medicine, and a record emigration that has drained the island of a significant portion of its population, while the regime deploys digital resources to counter the opposing narrative.
Bruzón has declared that he will only return to Cuba when the country is "free and democratic".
Filed under: