The Ministry of Revolutionary Armed Forces (MINFAR) published a post this week on its official Facebook page boasting about the "basic military training" received by recruits of the Active Military Service, accompanied by a photograph of dozens of young people in olive green uniforms lined up in front of an officer on a podium. However, the post sparked a wave of criticism from Cubans who rejected the regime's triumphalist tone.
The text described the process as "a set of actions and procedures aimed at increasing the conscious influence of leaders over the groups that make up the unit at all levels," a bureaucratic language that contrasts sharply with the testimonies of former recruits, parents, and citizens who replied in the comments.
The majority reaction was one of indignation. A comment that encapsulates the general sentiment of many users stated: "Abusers who have children forced to go hungry and are just cannon fodder if something happens, so many have died, and those who don't show up are being threatened with prison."
Another user questioned the real usefulness of the training: "Those are not recruits, they are hostages... kids who go to the shooting range a couple of times a year, at most in my time when there were more resources, seven bullets per head... they are just prisoners that you expect to kill first so you have time to escape."
Several comments pointed to the economic nature of the service for the regime. "The biggest business of that revolutionary garbage relies on free labor, guards for their strongholds, free workforce, and cannon fodder for when something happens someday—children forced to be there, risking their lives to defend those who keep them oppressed, enduring many hardships, hunger, and inhumane conditions," wrote another user.
The same logic appeared in another comment that summarized it bluntly: "If they remove the obligation to go through the military nonsense, they'll be left without guards."
A former recruit recalled his own experience: "I remember when I was in the reserves (mandatory), we marched to the beat of one, two, three, four, taking crap and wearing out our shoes."
This publication from MINFAR is not an isolated case. On July 9th, a similar entry from Radio Ciudad Monumento regarding recruitment in Bayamo, Granma province, sparked identical reactions, with Cubans describing the process as "taking them to the slaughterhouse" and "an abuse" that prepares young people "for a war that will never come."
Social rejection of military service has intensified in recent years due to a series of documented deaths. Between 2018 and early 2026, at least 67 recruits died, according to data from Archivo Cuba and Cubalex: 27 by suicide, 16 due to severe negligence, 14 in accidents, four due to denial of medical care, and three in circumstances classified as homicides. In 2025 alone, at least 19 young people died during their time as recruits.
Among the most recent cases, Abraham Limonta Estrada, 17 years old, took his own life in February 2026 in Guantánamo, and Dailier Rodríguez Tamayo, 19 years old, died in March 2026 in Havana despite having a medical report that prohibited him from carrying weapons or being under stress. The mother of Antonio Rassi Roque, who passed away in August 2025, reported in July 2026 that the authorities closed the case without identifying any responsible parties.
Military service is mandatory for Cuban male citizens starting at the age of 17, with a duration of two years. Cuba does not recognize the right to conscientious objection, and Decree 103/2024 imposes fines of up to 7,000 Cuban pesos on those who fail to report when summoned, with the possibility of criminal prosecution for repeat offenders. Additionally, recruits have been seen collecting garbage in Havana, which reinforces the perception that military service acts as a source of free labor for the State.
"Training people to demean their own people. The life of a Cuban is worth less than a gum to these corrupt communists," concluded one of the most shared comments under the official publication from MINFAR.
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