The media reported on the plans of the US Department of Justice to bring criminal charges against Raul Castro.

The U.S. Department of Justice may bring criminal charges against former Cuban leader Raul Castro. This was reported by the Reuters news agency on May 20.

"It is expected that the administration of [US President Donald] Trump will announce on Wednesday [May 20] criminal charges against former Cuban President Raul Castro, which will intensify Washington's campaign of pressure on the communist government of this Caribbean island," the article says.

According to the agency, the charges will be based on the 1996 incident when Cuban fighter jets shot down two American planes belonging to a group of immigrants from Cuba. According to Reuters, Trump is seeking regime change in Cuba. Earlier, the United States effectively imposed a blockade on the island, threatening sanctions on countries that supply fuel to it.

Base for invasion: The United States is spinning up the case of the 1990s to put pressure on Cuba

Will the American intervention on the island begin, or will Washington use political levers?

The New York Times reported on May 16, citing White House staff, that the American authorities were considering putting pressure on former Cuban leader Raul Castro, including through criminal prosecution and subsequent kidnapping, similar to Venezuelan President Nicolas Maduro. The threat, according to the interlocutors of the publication, can become an instrument of pressure on Havana.

At the same time, on February 27, the head of the White House announced a possible "friendly seizure" of Cuba. At the same time, he acknowledged that the state was facing serious economic consequences from his actions. The USA Today newspaper said on April 15 that Washington had even begun secret preparations for a possible military operation against this Latin American country.