The US Department of Justice has filed charges against the Cuban military in the 1996 case.

The U.S. Department of Justice has indicted five Cuban military personnel in the case of the destruction of two civilian aircraft in 1996. This follows from the indictment, which was reviewed by RIA Novosti on May 20.

According to the materials of the report, among the defendants is Lieutenant Colonel Lorenzo Alberto Perez—Perez of the Cuban Air Force. The investigation claims that he, piloting a MiG-29 fighter jet, fired missiles at the planes. Another person involved was former Lieutenant Colonel Luis Raul Gonzalez-Pardo Rodriguez of the Cuban Air Force, who allegedly flew the second fighter during the operation. He was arrested in Florida at the end of 2025.

Charges have also been filed against Emilio Jose Palacio Blanco, Jose Fidel Gual Barzaga and Raul Simanca Cardenas. The United States believes that they participated in coordinating the attack from earth.

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 that the American authorities are considering putting pressure on former Cuban leader Raul Castro, including through criminal prosecution and subsequent kidnapping, similar to former Venezuelan President Nicolas Maduro. The threat may become an instrument of pressure on Havana.

Acting U.S. Attorney General Todd Blanche confirmed on May 20 that charges were being filed in the country against Raul Castro and others who conspired to kill Americans.

American President Donald Trump, in turn, said that despite the accusations against the former Cuban president, Washington would not escalate the situation in relations with the island state. Trump also called the indictment of Castro a very important moment not only for Americans of Cuban descent, but also for anyone who wants to return to Cuba to their relatives.

On May 20, the Cuban government condemned the accusations made by the United States against Castro, calling them a "political provocation." According to the Cuban Government, the United States ignores numerous official complaints about over 25 targeted violations of Cuban airspace committed by a terrorist organization from 1994 to 1996.