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The Venezuelan government awarded the medal “Heroes and Heroines of Venezuela” to the brigade of Cuban rescuers and their working dogs during a ceremony held in La Guaira, one day after the one-week mark since the devastating earthquakes of June 24, 2026, according to the Embassy of Cuba in Venezuela on their social media.
The acting president of Venezuela, Delcy Rodríguez, led the event at the Jorge Luis García Carneiro Operations Base, which was also attended by Diosdado Cabello.
The ceremony recognized a total of 478 specialists and 36 canines from 12 nations. On the Cuban side, the representative of the brigade was Lieutenant Colonel Rubén Pupo, along with Ambassador Jorge Mayo Fernández.
In addition to the main distinction, the three Labrador dogs of the Cuban brigade —Tito, Eva, and Choco— received the decoration "Canine Heroes of Venezuela" for their efforts in locating people under rubble.
The Cuban brigade arrived in Venezuela in two groups: the first on June 28, and the second—comprising 13 specialists, including surgical and forensic doctors from the Henry Reeve Contingent—on June 30. In total, they transported over 7 tons of specialized equipment.
The award, however, comes amid a contradiction that the Cuban regime has preferred to keep in the background: while its rescue workers were receiving medals, at least 20 Cubans remained missing and eight had been confirmed dead as of the end of July 3.
The Cuban Ministry of Foreign Affairs took days to officially acknowledge the situation of its affected citizens.
Its Director of Consular Affairs, Ana Teresita González Fraga, stated on June 27 that "up to now we do not have official confirmation" of injured, deceased, or missing nationals, while citizen platforms like "Encuéntralos" documented dozens of cases.
On June 28, the death of a Cuban family of six was confirmed: Alain Rodríguez Rojas, Yadina de la Caridad Yáñez, Teresa Rojas Rodríguez, Raudel Diosdado Rodríguez, Dylan Xander Rodríguez Yáñez, and Gladys María Padrón.
The earthquakes on June 24, with magnitudes of 7.2 and 7.5, centered in the state of Yaracuy and occurring just 39 seconds apart, are the most destructive recorded in Venezuela since 1900.
The official balance as of July 3 was 2,954 deceased, while the UN estimated up to 50,000 missing.
In that context, the Cuban official Abel Prieto criticized the humanitarian deployment by the United States —which included 79 rescuers from Miami-Dade, six K-9 dogs, and 150 million dollars in aid— labeling them as "humanitarian Rambos," while the regime celebrated its own awards in Caracas.
Other countries recognized in the same ceremony were Jordan, with 107 rescuers and six dogs; the Czech Republic, with 69 specialists; Colombia and Spain, each with 67.
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