Raúl Castro did not attend the central event of July 26 in Pinar del Río this Sunday, marking the first time in at least three decades that the 95-year-old former leader has missed this ceremony, according to a report by the AP agency.
However, the regime did not provide any explanation for the absence, and instead, the current ruler Miguel Díaz-Canel read a handwritten message signed by Castro to the crowd.
"Dear people of Pinar del Río, on this July 26th, I extend my affection and recognition to you for having earned, through your effort, dedication to the revolutionary cause, and creative work, the great honor of being the central venue for the 73rd anniversary of the assaults on the Moncada and Carlos Manuel de Céspedes barracks, National Rebellion Day. A strong hug to all," was Castro's brief message.
The reaction of the Cubans on social media to the handwritten message was swift. The mockery multiplied with phrases like "And as a gift, here are 48 hours without power. Thank you, revolutionary people."
But the most curious thing, according to AP, is that there are no records of the former governor's absences from this ceremony during that time period, making his absence a historically unprecedented event in decades.
His grandson Raúl Guillermo Rodríguez Castro, identified as an unofficial interlocutor with Washington, was also absent from the event.
The last confirmed public appearances of Castro were on June 6 at the Karl Marx Theater, during an event celebrating the creation of the Ministry of the Interior, and on May 1 at the José Martí Anti-Imperialist Tribune, where he was described as visibly unwell and having difficulties walking.
Díaz-Canel himself acknowledged in April 2026 that Castro is "retired for health reasons" and is "fragile due to his advanced age."
On the contrary, at the event on July 26, 2025, held in Ciego de Ávila, Castro was indeed present, walking to the podium and sitting in the front row alongside Ramiro Valdés and José Ramón Machado Ventura.
In addition to his absence, in May 2026, the U.S. Department of Justice filed a formal indictment against Castro with seven federal charges —including conspiracy to assassinate U.S. citizens and four counts of homicide— for his involvement in the downing of two planes from Brothers to the Rescue on February 24, 1996, which resulted in the deaths of four Cuban Americans. Cuba rejected the charges.
Anniversary of the Assault on Moncada, a milestone in the Cuban official calendar
The event commemorating the 73rd anniversary of the assault on the Moncada, held under the slogan "My Moncada is the homeland," was marked by the crisis facing the island.
Díaz-Canel delivered a combative speech in which he compared the U.S. government to the Nazis and accused the Trump administration of implementing "a coldly calculated genocide."
"First it was Gaza, Lebanon, and Iran. Today it is Cuba. Tomorrow it could be any other nation," he stated.
The ruler also rejected a report from the State Department published the week before that accused Cuba of operating a network of espionage and leftist influence against the United States and Latin America for decades.
Related videos:
Filed under: