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The Cuban Central Army disseminated a propaganda message on social media showcasing the training of young recruits at its training grounds and issuing a direct warning to what it refers to as "the enemy," within the framework of the military campaign that the regime has intensified during 2026.
According to the official publication from the Central Army, the Chief of the Villa Clara Military Region personally reviewed and verified what the text describes as "the high state of combat readiness" on the ground.
The statement, titled "This is how the children of Cuba march!", frames the exercises within what the regime calls the "centennial youth of Fidel," referring to the centenary of Fidel Castro—born on August 13, 1926—which the authorities are commemorating throughout this year.
The tone of the message is openly militaristic: "The enemy who makes a mistake: here preparation is daily, discipline is total, and victory is certain," states the publication, which concludes with the slogan "This is how the children of Cuba march: steadfast in the trench, invincible in combat!"
This publication is part of a propaganda campaign that the regime has maintained throughout 2026, officially declared the "Year of Preparation for Defense."
Since January 12, the three territorial armies—Western, Central, and Eastern—have been conducting weekly exercises that include shooting, rocket launching, drone use, and the mobilization of Mobile Combat Groups.
The Western Army published a similar message on May 30 under the slogan "Combat readiness continues," and the Ministry of the Revolutionary Armed Forces (MINFAR) showcased the so-called "Black Wasps" in May with the phrase "War should not be provoked, but we will fight it if the enemy imposes it."
Raúl Castro himself presided over the May Day event under the slogan "The Homeland is Defended" and stated that he was "with one foot in the stirrup and ready for the charge with the machete, against the enemy," and in June he once again invoked the doctrine of the "War of All the People."
The official narrative of military strength contrasts sharply with the documented reality within the Mandatory Military Service (MMS).
According to data from Archivo Cuba and Cuba x Cuba published in April 2026, at least 67 recruits died between 2018 and early 2026: 27 took their own lives, 16 died due to severe negligence, 14 in accidents, four due to denial of medical care, and three under circumstances that organizations classify as murders.
Only in 2025 did at least 19 young people die during their time as recruits.
Among the most recent cases is Abraham Limonta Estrada, 17 years old, who took his life in February 2026 at the military unit "La Marquesita," and Dailier Rodríguez Tamayo, 19 years old, who passed away on March 16, 2026, despite a prior medical warning.
The explosion at the ammunition warehouse in Melones, Holguín, on January 7, 2025, left nine recruits and four military personnel missing, while the fire at the Supertanker Base in Matanzas in August 2022 resulted in the deaths of four young individuals sent to assist with extinguishing it.
The regime plans to hold the I International Colloquium "Fidel: Legacy and Future" from August 10 to 13, 2026, at the Palace of Conventions in Havana, with a panel specifically dedicated to the "military thought of Fidel Castro Ruz," which anticipates a new wave of military propaganda coinciding with the centenary of the dictator.
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