2024-02-16 17:55:55
Wearing a military uniform, with explosions in the background and dozens of soldiers running towards the cameras, Russian journalist Alexey Egorov presented this Sunday the second part of his documentary about the Cuban Army, released last December. Despite the war fanfare, the “exclusive” report, broadcast on the Military Acceptance program on the Zvezda network, arrives a month late and with great discretion.
Filmed “a few kilometers from Havana” and on a plain near the coast, the documentary focuses on the training of Cuba’s special troops, known as Black Wasps, whose young cadets already appeared in the previous filming covered in clay, half-naked and walking barefoot on barbed wire. Recording began last July, when Egorov arrived in the capital aboard the Russian training ship Perekop.
The elite forces are more prepared to resist than to fight since their function, Egorov assures, is not to be part of a battle, but rather they are dedicated to tasks of greater danger. “When we asked why the special unit was created, they responded, among other things, that to eliminate the leaders of terrorist groups and fight against unfriendly regimes,” says the journalist and adds: “Frankness is another distinctive feature of the Cuban military.” “.
“These Cubans do not go into battle, they are classic saboteurs. Their task is to move silently and stealthily in a predetermined area and do what needs to be done there and then also stealthily disappear”
“These Cubans do not go to battle, they are classic saboteurs. Their task is to move silently and stealthily in a predetermined area and do what needs to be done there and then also silently and stealthily disappear,” explains a military officer from the Island to Egorov. “The Kalashnikov assault rifle,” he continues, “is there as a tool in case they have to shoot.”
“This group is training in underground shelters to hide from enemy intelligence and is preparing for the penetration of their rear, including conducting engineering training underground (planting explosives), where they can remain for up to a week,” the journalist says while points to the young wasps inside holes in the ground that barely fit a person. “And the enemy – adds Egorov – is very real.”
In a field where tanks advance, mines explode and exercises are carried out that aim to blow up a building, one person in particular catches Egorov’s attention: Captain Heidi, who “simultaneously gives interviews to Russians without an interpreter.” “, gestures orders and supervises the exercise”.
Captain Heidi, from the tower from which the cadets jump, explains to journalists the training that the Cuban special forces go through. “Heidi is the most senior and attentive of her group,” as well as the highest ranking, adds Egorov, who does not hesitate to describe the woman as “dangerous, beautiful and armed to the teeth.”
The report continues through the Cuban arsenal that, in addition to the Kalashnikovs, the Ural and Howo trucks and the rocket launchers known as katiushas, It has modern helicopters, tanks, trucks from the Chinese brand Dongfeng and a locally made 14.5 caliber rifle, which Egorov praises as an “unprecedented” weapon. The weight of the weapon and its “powerful” caliber, Egorov emphasizes, make the recoil when shooting very strong, making it even more “remarkable” that it is used in the Armed Forces of the Island.
The propaganda tone of Egorov, a staunch supporter of Vladimir Putin and an enthusiastic defender of the invasion of Ukraine, accompanies the Cuban elite forces during the almost 40 minutes of the report, which he compares to the Armies of Laos or Vietnam. Cuba, he assures, has absorbed combat and camouflage techniques learned in the United States invasions of these two countries and more recently of Afghanistan. In addition, add learning Japanese martial arts.
In Egorov’s opinion, the Black Wasps are among the best prepared military forces in the world. “Few people have seen them, but many have heard of them. These guys are rarely shown on television,” he acknowledges. His program, however, has been chosen by the island’s military leadership to expose its military capacity to both allies and “enemy regimes.”
A final review of the relations between the Kremlin and Havana forces Egorov to remember that the history between both countries is old. “We told in detail how our country’s relations with Liberty Island were built, how Fidel Castro flew to Moscow, how he fought against the Americans with our tanks and self-propelled vehicles, how we sent nuclear weapons to Cuba, and here many find “It seems that the starting point of relations between our two countries is the Cuban Revolution, which is not entirely true.”
Cuban soldiers fought on the side of the Soviet Union during World War II, recalls the journalist, who points out that, after 1959, “the first emblem of the Cuban special unit, which began as the Airborne Assault Brigade” imitated the symbol of the Airborne Troops of Soviet Russia, a “frank sign of respect.”
Egorov does not overlook the current relations between the Island and his country, and even with the Kremlin’s closest allies, such as Belarus. It was precisely the Minister of Defense of this country, Víctor Jrenin, who visited the Island last January, defined the importance of the military between “friendly” countries: “Military force is the basis of political relations”, a maxim which operates mainly between Havana and Moscow.
However, prudence – and perhaps some direct order – prevents Putin’s star propagandist from mentioning the presence of Cuban mercenaries in the invasion of Ukraine or the reason why the island’s hermetic military leadership opened its doors to him. However, it is not clear why the Havana regime decided to disseminate these images that reflect an Army with few means.
________________________
Collaborate with our work:
The team of 14 intervene is committed to doing serious journalism that reflects the reality of deep Cuba. Thank you for joining us on this long path. We invite you to continue supporting us, but this time by becoming a member of our journal. Together we can continue transforming journalism in Cuba.