Cuban Communists Announce Vague Plan for ‘State of War’ After Losing Soldiers in Maduro Arrest
Cuba’s National Security Council met this weekend to discuss what state propaganda described as “plans and measures to take a step toward a state of war,” a day after hosting the remains of 32 of its soldiers killed in a U.S. operation to arrest deposed Venezuelan dictator Nicolás Maduro.
U.S. forces apprehended Maduro and his wife, “first fighter” Cilia Flores, in the early morning hours of January 3, extracting them from the Miraflores Palace. Although Caracas and Havana denied for years that the Cuban Revolutionary Armed Forces (FAR) had a significant presence in Venezuela to aid the socialist regime, the Cuban Communist Party confirmed after the arrest that 32 members of the Cuban security forces were killed during the operation. The revelation validated years of research suggesting that the Castro regime had largely colonized Venezuela under Maduro and his predecessor Hugo Chávez, flooding the country with thousands of military officers.
The Castro regime received the remains of the 32 homes on Thursday in small boxes rather than coffins, raising questions about what happened to the soldiers that could have led to such destruction.
In addition to the Castro regime’s involvement in protecting Maduro, President Donald Trump, who approved the operation to arrest the Venezuelan tyrant, explicitly stated that U.S. foreign policy would soon target Cuba, a state sponsor of terrorism that has for decades supported anti-American and violent regimes across the planet.
“THERE WILL BE NO OIL OR MONEY IN CUBA – ZERO! I strongly suggest they make a deal, BEFORE IT’S TOO LATE,” Trump wrote in a message on the Truth Social website on January 11.
In a message published on the state propaganda site “Cuba Debate,” the Castro regime announced that the National Defense Council had met on Saturday “to analyze and approve the plans and measures for the transition to a state of war.” Cuba Debate provided little more information, only that the “state of war” was “part of the country’s preparation according to the strategic conception of war of all the people.”
He adds that Raúl Castro, the country’s 94-year-old dictator, “was kept informed of the development of the activity, which he described as a good and effective meeting.” Castro remains the country’s only ruling dictator, but he typically uses “President” Miguel Díaz-Canel as a spokesperson for smaller events or routine responsibilities.
The “state of war” declaration does not specify which country or non-state entity Cuba would go to “war” against, although, given the events of the past month, the most likely target is the United States. The independent Cuban newspaper 14 y medio reported that the government also did not elaborate on whether the plans for a “state of war” were intended as a preparation exercise for the possible possibility of war or as the basis for an imminent declaration of war.
“It was also not specified whether it was [the state of war] was instituted or it was simply a review of protocols for when enforcement [of such a state] is decided,” added the media.
Cuba’s communist regime has invested heavily in bellicose propaganda in an attempt to turn public opinion against the United States and deter the Trump administration from taking actions detrimental to the government. Last week, the official newspaper of the Communist Party of Cuba, grandmotherposted alleged statements on social media by Cubans threatening to kill Americans.
“They know if they come here they will come and die,” one alleged social media user wrote. “If I were them, I would be worried if their psychopathic president decided to send them. I would be very worried. A sure path to death.”
The Communist Party severely punishes public speech, including on social media, that opposes its political agenda, and has been caught promoting fake social media profiles sharing state propaganda. While these messages appeared on grandmotherThe Trump administration has increased humanitarian aid deliveries to Cuba, specifically targeting victims of Hurricane Melissa. Cuba saw a record number of anti-regime protests in several months of 2025, indicating that anti-American propaganda did little to quell anger against the government.
In addition to the belligerent rhetoric, the independent media outlet Cubanet observed this weekend that the regime has been flooding social media “for weeks” with news about the military mobilization. Families of service members trapped in mandatory military operations have reported significant restrictions on their movement. Cubanet pointed out that the equipment and personnel of the Cuban armed forces are far from up to date or ready for a hot war:
Of the nearly 70 MIG planes donated by the USSR… barely ten of them are flying… Few runways, including training ones, are in good condition, including those at major air bases in the West.
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Something similar happens with helicopters. Between 2010 and 2012, most were sold for parts to the North Koreans, and there are barely a few Mi-8s and Mi-17s that are seen from time to time, like noisy flying debris, in tourist exhibitions, in transfers of officials, in rescues during the last hurricane, as well as in various accidents, some fatal.
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As for the naval fleet, let’s not talk about it out of shame. Beyond the old patrol boats and boats that we see in the main strategic points of Havana, Matanzas, Cienfuegos, Holguín and Santiago de Cuba, there is nothing more “modern” to show.
As of press time, the Trump administration has not responded to the alleged “state of war” situation, nor has the Castro regime clarified whether it is currently in a state of war or if this is simply planning. THE chavist The Venezuelan regime, for its part, is said to be cooperating with Washington through “interim president” and Maduro’s former vice president, Delcy Rodríguez.
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