The President of the United States, Donald Trump, stated that the Cuban regime “is falling apart” and claimed that “it has lost control of Cuba” after the U.S. Justice Department formally charged former dictator Raúl Castro with murder and destruction of aircraft related to the downing of two civilian planes from Brothers to the Rescue in 1996.
The Republican leader's statements came amid one of the worst economic and energy crises the island has faced in decades. “They really lost control of Cuba. It is falling apart,” Trump said to reporters in Washington, referring to the internal deterioration of the communist regime.
The indictment presented by the Department of Justice accuses Raúl Castro and other former high-ranking Cuban officials of conspiracy to commit murder and destruction of aircraft for the downing of two civilian planes that occurred in February 1996, an attack that left four dead, including three U.S. citizens.
The former Cuban dictator Raúl Castro
However, much of the current pressure from Washington is also focused on the Cuban energy crisis. Since the fall of Nicolás Maduro in Venezuela following the U.S. military operation in early 2026, Cuba has lost a significant portion of the subsidized oil supply it received from Caracas which for years partially sustained the functioning of the Cuban economy.
Since then, the Trump administration has further tightened restrictions to prevent fuel from entering the island, deepening the so-called oil blockade against the Cuban regime. Trump himself indicated this week that his government will make “soon” new announcements related to those energy measures.
Nicolás Maduro detained by the DEA
The fall of Venezuelan support has caused massive blackouts, fuel shortages, and severe problems in Cuban transportation and industry. In some regions of the island, power outages already exceed 20 hours a day, while hospitals, businesses, and basic services operate with enormous difficulties.
Secretary of State Marco Rubio directly blamed the Castro leadership for the situation and stated that “the real reason” for the lack of electricity and food is the economic plundering carried out for decades by the Cuban political and military apparatus.
Meanwhile, the Cuban regime is trying to contain the growing social discontent by organizing pro-government mobilizations and claiming that the indictment against Raúl Castro is part of a political offensive driven from Washington. Even so, the combination of economic crisis, energy collapse, and international pressure has placed the regime in one of its most fragile moments since the fall of the Soviet Union.
