Havana/The Cuban Government shows signs of concern about potential military aggression and took advantage of the Territorial Defense Day this Saturday to show muscle. In addition to the rhetoric of defense “of the Homeland” from all official media, armed response drills have been staged in several provinces, in which militiamen and civilian personnel participated, many in street clothes.
In cases like Sancti Spíritus, the exercises generated fear among the population. Residents of the province pointed out 14ymedio that the city “woke up scared after the shots and the bombs that were being thrown” from the first hour. Added to this was that Soviet MiG-15 fighter planes from the Cold War era were seen in the skies in the area.
Given the anxiety and the lack of information provided by the authorities, the residents began to ask what was happening through Facebook. The person who clarified the situation a little was the journalist Elsa Ramos, a columnist for the newspaper Escambray and a critical voice within the ruling party, and indicated on Radio Sancti Spíritus that combat exercises were being carried out near the city.
Deivy Pérez Martin, president of the Provincial Defense Council, highlighted the importance of these exercises “to achieve the best preparation of the Production and Defense Brigades, in order to have a well-trained people to stop and defeat any attempt by the enemy to take over the nation,” according to the provincial newspaper of Sancti Spíritus.
There was “a compendium of comprehensive actions aimed at increasing the preparation of all components of the province in the face of risk situations”
Another province that carried out these actions was Matanzas. There was “a compendium of comprehensive actions aimed at raising the preparation of all components of the province in situations of risk, threat or aggression, within the framework of the doctrine of the War of All the People,” he reported. Gironin a text accompanied by photographs showing the smoke after some detonations.
The exercises included combined classes in military units, tactical maneuvers with shooting exercises and practical cases of air defense units.
In Havana, the exercises were also carried out in the 15 municipalities of the capital. “During the day, drills, tactical training and logistical assurance and civil defense actions were carried out.” Women dressed in civilian clothes, with dress clothes and shoes, and children, participated.
These scenes were replicated in the special municipalities of Isla de la Juventud. There, according to the newspaper Victorywith triumphalist language, the people demonstrated “their high preparation, patriotism and irrevocable conviction in victory against the threats of the enemy.”
From the middle, there was a call “to continue fighting for the defense of the Homeland, sovereignty, solidarity and a better future where unity, equality and social justice prevail, using as a basis the values instilled by our historical leaders”, with a large number of images in which they showed exercises on land and sea.
In Villa Clara, they practiced shooting with different weapons, including rifles and artillery.
In Villa Clara, they practiced shooting with different weapons, including rifles and artillery. In addition, the Anti-Aircraft Defense Brigade carried out different exercises to detect aircraft and drones, “as well as combat against them.”
“Given the interference of the United States and the real possibility of an attack against the country, it is essential to increase the response capacity.” This is how the day was lived in Cienfuegos, where they carried out shooting exercises, “movement on the ground and checking the transportation and communications systems.” The premise, according September 5is that the “neighborhood has to be a trench that protects the conquests of the Revolution.”
From Holguín, with heavy artillery included in the exercises, they trained “to face situations of risk or threat to internal security, in a scenario of unconventional war and enemy invasion.”
in the diary Invader, of Ciego de Ávila, it was indicated that these maneuvers were carried out to “pay tribute to the 32 Cubans who lost their lives in the line of duty in recent events” in Venezuela and in the face of “the threats and pressures exerted by the United States Government against Cuba and other nations in the region.” From some trenches, several young people took up weapons and practiced shooting.
Finally, in Santiago de Cuba, evoking Fidel Castro and with the slogan that “the best way to avoid war is to prepare,” women – mostly – carried out the exercises, which aimed to be ready “to carry out missions in times of aggression.”
These exercises took place hours before a new threat from the president of the United States, donald trumpwho issued an explicit warning to the Castro regime this Sunday: Cuba must “reach an agreement” with Washington or face the definitive rupture of the economic ties that have sustained the Island for decades. The Republican president stated on his Truth Social social network that “there will be no more oil or money for Cuba: zero!”, in direct reference to the flow of crude oil and resources that Venezuela supplied to Havana for years.
