Thirty-two Cubans were killed in combat or air strikes during the US operation to capture Venezuelan President Nicolas Maduro, according to a statement from the Cuban government published by the newspaper „Granma“.
„As a result of the criminal attack carried out by the government of the United States against the fraternal Bolivarian Republic of Venezuela in the early morning of January 3, 2026, 32 Cubans were killed during combat operations while carrying out missions on behalf of the Revolutionary Armed Forces and the Ministry of the Interior at the request of the relevant authorities of the South American country“, the publication reports.
The government noted that they "performed their duty with dignity and heroism and fell after fierce resistance either in direct combat against the attackers or as a result of bombing targets".
Havana expressed its condolences to the families of the victims and promised to organize "appropriate actions in their honor". Cuban President Miguel Diaz-Canel declared two days of national mourning.
Venezuelan Defense Minister Vladimir Padrino Lopez earlier reported that during the kidnapping of Maduro and his wife Cilia Flores, US forces killed a significant part of their security team, as well as bystanders, without specifying the number of dead.