The Cuban Government decreed two days of National Mourning to honor the 32 Cubans who died in combative actions during the US attacks against Venezuela that culminated in the capture of former president Nicolás Maduro and his wife Cilia Flores.
“As a result of the criminal attack perpetrated by the United States government against the sister Bolivarian Republic of Venezuela, carried out in the early hours of January 3, 2026, 32 Cubans lost their lives in combative actions, who were carrying out missions on behalf of the Revolutionary Armed Forces and the Ministry of the Interior, at the request of counterpart bodies of the South American country,” states an official note reproduced in all the country’s press media.
The statement states that “after fierce resistance,” the Cubans, whose identities were not published for now, died “in direct combat against the attackers or as a result of the bombing of the facilities.”
“Once their identity was verified, the relatives of our fallen comrades were informed, and received the heartfelt condolences and support of Army General Raúl Castro Ruz, leader of the Cuban Revolution, and the first secretary of the Central Committee of the Party and president of the Republic Miguel Díaz-Canel Bermúdez, as well as the heads of both ministries.”
By Presidential Decree, Miguel Díaz-Canel declared two days of National Mourning, starting at 6:00 am on January 5 until midnight on January 6, 2026.
“Victims of a new criminal act of state aggression and terrorism, the combatants were able to highlight with their heroic actions the feeling of solidarity of millions of compatriots. The Revolutionary Government will organize the corresponding actions to pay them the well-deserved tribute,” concludes the note released.
From Venezuela
Hours earlier, the Minister of Defense, Chief General Vladimir Padrino, confirmed in a statement that the US forces that carried out the assault on Venezuela killed a large part of Maduro’s security team.
Padrino described the action as a “cowardly kidnapping” of Nicolás Maduro and his wife, “after a large part of his security team was murdered in cold blood: soldiers and innocent citizens.”
The Venezuelan Minister of Defense did not give figures, but according to The New York Times, A senior Venezuelan official declared on condition of anonymity that the number of fatalities from the US army intervention amounts to 80, including civilians and security force personnel.
