Russia has described the United States’ indictment of Raúl Modesto Castro Ruz as a precursor to regime change in the embattled Caribbean country.
The former Cuban President, who will be 95 years old on June 3, faces multiple counts of murder and conspiracy to kill U.S. nationals thirty years ago.
The charges stemmed from the 1996 shootdown of two U.S. civilian aircraft, which caused the deaths of Armando Alejandre Jr., Carlos Costa, Mario de la Peña, and Pablo Morales.
In a statement on Thursday, Moscow declared that Washington’s “recent, almost daily, escalatory actions” against Cuba are a source of grave concern.
The Foreign Ministry says Castro’s prosecution is to “lend a semblance of legitimacy” to the pressure on the nation’s leadership to achieve firm control and force “regime change.”
Russia cited the arrival of a Navy carrier strike group led by the USS Nimitz in the Caribbean, calling it a signal of a possible armed intervention against Cuba.
The ally likened the situation to the January military operation in Venezuela, and condemned the “renewed attempts to bring the Cuban people to their knees.”
Moscow said for nearly seven decades, Cubans have defended their sovereignty despite external threats, political blackmail, and a trade, economic, financial, and energy blockade.
The federation believes the people will stand firm in their struggle against the challenges with “neither moral nor legal justification,” and also rally strongly behind Raúl Castro.
Russia reiterated its opposition to unilateral restrictive measures against Cuba and called for a negotiated settlement of the differences between Havana and Washington.
