Cuba Responds to Raúl Castro Indictment by Planning Nationwide Celebration for His 95th Birthday

Cuba responded defiantly Wednesday to the historic U.S. indictment against Raúl Castro by announcing a nationwide celebration for the former Cuban leader's upcoming 95th birthday and denouncing the charges as an "illegitimate and illegal" political attack.

Just hours after the U.S. Department of Justice unsealed murder and conspiracy charges against Castro and five other Cuban military figures over the 1996 shootdown of two Brothers to the Rescue planes, Cuba's government and Communist Party allies moved quickly to rally public support around the longtime revolutionary leader.

The Cuban Embassy in Washington shared a statement from Cuba's Young Communist League announcing a nationwide campaign called "Raúl's 95th" ahead of Castro's June 3 birthday. The statement said Cuban youth would honor the former president by defending "the Revolution through action and transformation," invoking both Fidel Castro's legacy and Raúl Castro's "historic guidance."

"The National Bureau of the Young Communist League has called for a nationwide celebration titled 'Raúl's 95th,'" the embassy posted on social media Wednesday.

The campaign appeared carefully timed to counter the explosive U.S. indictment, which accuses Castro, now 94, of helping direct the Cuban military operation that shot down two civilian aircraft flown by the Miami-based exile group Brothers to the Rescue on Feb. 24, 1996. Four men were killed in the attack: Carlos Costa, Armando Alejandre Jr., Mario de la Peña and Pablo Morales. The U.S. alleges the planes were destroyed in international airspace. Cuba has long insisted the aircraft violated Cuban territory.

Bruno Rodríguez Parrilla, Cuba's foreign minister, also issued a fiery response accusing Washington of fabricating history to justify decades of hostility toward the island.

"We condemn the farce of the U.S. government presenting an illegitimate and illegal accusation against the Leader of the Cuban Revolution, Army General Raúl Castro Ruz," Rodríguez wrote on X.

The foreign minister argued the 1996 incident occurred in "Cuban airspace and legitimate self-defense" against what he called the "terrorist organization Brothers to the Rescue." He accused the United States of trying to reinforce a "fraudulent narrative" to justify tougher aggression against Cuba.

Rodríguez also escalated tensions by accusing Washington of hypocrisy, claiming the U.S. government had itself been complicit in violent operations against Cuba for decades. In one of the most provocative parts of the statement, he referenced recent U.S. anti-narcotics operations that allegedly resulted in deaths in international waters in the Caribbean and Pacific.

"Cuba will not renounce its inalienable right to legitimate defense," Rodríguez wrote, ending his message with the slogan "#RaúlEsRaúl."

The extraordinary exchange reflects the sharp deterioration in relations between Havana and Washington during President Donald Trump's current administration. Trump and Secretary of State Marco Rubio, himself the son of Cuban immigrants, have restored hardline policies toward Cuba, increased sanctions pressure and intensified support for dissidents and political prisoners on the island.

The indictment against Castro marks one of the most symbolically important legal actions ever taken by the United States against a senior Cuban revolutionary leader. Though there is virtually no chance Cuba would extradite Castro, analysts say the move carries enormous political weight for the Cuban exile community in South Florida, where the Brothers to the Rescue shootdown remains one of the most painful episodes in the history of U.S.-Cuba relations.

Instead of retreating, Havana appeared determined Wednesday to transform the indictment into a rallying cry, wrapping Castro's upcoming birthday celebrations in the language of resistance, nationalism and revolutionary continuity.