MOSCOW, October 20. /TASS/. The Russian Foreign Ministry has strongly denounced the issuance of an arrest warrant for former Cuban leader Raul Castro in the United States.

"The issuance by a Miami judge (USA) of an arrest warrant for Raul Castro, a leading figure in Cuba’s political history, has drawn categorical rejection and strong condemnation," the ministry said.

The Foreign Ministry noted that UN Security Council Resolution 1067, adopted on July 26, 1996, set out the political and legal assessments of the February 1996 events that the United States attributes personally to Raul Castro. "The resolution does not call for anyone to be held personally accountable. This effectively means that the Security Council, including the United States, agreed that the incident had been resolved in this respect," the statement emphasized.

Bringing forward baseless, fabricated charges more than 30 years later appears to be nothing more than revenge by the anti-Cuban lobby in Miami, which is eager to settle scores with Raul Castro, who turned 95 in June, the ministry pointed out.

"Further escalating tensions around the Island of Freedom, which is currently going through an extremely dire period amid the unprecedented trade, economic, financial, and energy blockade, may destabilize the situation across the entire Latin American and Caribbean region," it stated. "A potential social upheaval may trigger a mass exodus of Cuban citizens to neighboring countries, creating a social crisis for them."

"This court ruling could have been viewed merely as an expression of the sentiments of a certain group of individuals, had it not been for events earlier this year in Venezuela, where the country’s leader was abducted in violation of all norms and principles of international law," the ministry stressed.

For its part, Russia "reaffirms its steadfast solidarity with the government of brotherly Cuba and will continue to strengthen close ties of friendship, mutual support, assistance, and comprehensive cooperation with it," it pledged. "We are convinced that the invincible Cuban people and its leadership will respond appropriately to yet another attack by Western ill-wishers. We wish Russia’s friend, comrade Raul Castro, good health and the continued preservation of the courage, bravery, and fortitude that have always been characteristic of him."

On Monday, a court in the US state of Florida has issued an arrest warrant for 95-year-old former Cuban leader Raul Castro. In May, US authorities brought charges against Army General Raul Castro, one of the leaders of the Cuban Revolution. He faces four counts of murder, two counts of destroying an aircraft, and conspiracy to murder US citizens. Five other people are also named as defendants in the case. CBS News reported that the charges may be related to a 1996 incident in which the Cuban Air Force shot down two planes belonging to Brothers to the Rescue, a Miami-based Cuban exile organization. The network noted that prosecutors in Florida reopened the investigation into the case earlier in 2026.