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The Production and Defense Brigades of the San Juan el Cristo Defense Zone, in Bayamo, carried out a new military preparation exercise that the regime shared on social media under the hashtag #LaPatriaSeDefiende, which sparked a wave of critical comments from Cubans fed up with blackouts and shortages.
The post, shared on Facebook with images of groups of people gathered in the city’s squares and streets, described the brigades as "prepared and ready" for defense.
The public response was immediate: dozens of comments turned the question "Prepared for what exactly?" into the focus of a debate that blended humor, indignation, and despair.
"A lot of show, little bread," summarized one comment. Another user was more direct: "No power for three days, but here we go." A third pointed out bluntly: "If it's the production and defense brigade, then they should take them to a field to produce food."
The exercise is part of the campaign with which the regime declared 2026 as the "Year of Preparation for Defense", instituting weekly events every Saturday under the doctrine of "War of the Whole People."
Throughout the year, at least 15 National Defense Days have been held, including military drills by sea and air in Cienfuegos and the Meteor Exercise 2026 in its 40th edition, with participation from Miguel Díaz-Canel himself.
The contrast between the official discourse and the reality in Bayamo did not go unnoticed. The province of Granma has been experiencing power outages of up to 48 consecutive hours, and a Cuban journalist reported having only 20 hours of electricity in 10 days in that city.
Despite this, the authorities are prioritizing military preparation. "And as a reward for participating: blackouts. Say yes," wrote a Cuban. Another pointed out: "Without electricity, without water, and with a million kilometers of hunger, these people have no shame."
There were those who were more reflective: "Produce what? And defend what? Every day I understand less; defending those who oppress them doesn’t feed them... how different from the Bayamo that set fire to its city. Hunger and doctrine have made them blind."
Some comments highlighted the uncomfortable truth about the voluntary nature of the exercise: "Forced by the workplace, many of the poor haven't even had breakfast," noted an internet user. Another added, "What I want to know is how this comedy is going to transform life in Bayamo."
Skepticism also reached those who dared to publish the images. “At this moment, it’s a high-risk sport to make this kind of publications. But thank you for the photos,” warned a commentator, referring to the repression that may result from criticizing the regime.
This is not the first exercise that has faced massive mockery in Cuba. Previous exercises in other provinces had already been ridiculed for using ox teams and obsolete equipment to block roads, while the regime mobilized "fighters" to explain the blackouts to a population that experiences them daily.
"The hungrier and more in need they are, the more they support their dictators. The circus will continue as long as there are people who applaud the clowns," concluded a Cuban in the comments, summarizing the sentiment of those who view these activities as a distraction from the crisis ravaging the Island.
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