By Our Correspondent

National News – Russia and China have strongly criticised the United States following the indictment of former Cuban leader Raúl Castro over the 1996 shooting down of two civilian planes linked to a Cuban-American dissident group.

The charges, announced by US authorities, accuse Castro and five others of involvement in the incident that killed four people, including three US citizens.

According to US prosecutors, the aircraft operated by the dissident organisation Brothers to the Rescue were flying between Cuba and Florida when they were shot down by Cuban military jets.

At the time, Castro served as head of Cuba’s armed forces. The charges reportedly carry penalties ranging from life imprisonment to possible execution.

Reacting on Thursday, Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov described Washington’s pressure on Havana as unacceptable, saying such actions “border on violence.”

China’s foreign ministry also condemned the move, urging the US to stop using sanctions, threats and judicial actions as tools of coercion against Cuba.

The indictment comes amid renewed tensions between Washington and Havana under US President Donald Trump, whose administration has intensified sanctions on Cuba’s energy, defence and financial sectors.

The measures have reportedly worsened fuel shortages, blackouts and food supply problems on the island nation.

Cuban President Miguel Díaz-Canel dismissed the charges as politically motivated and lacking legal basis.

Meanwhile, US Secretary of State Marco Rubio defended the indictment, insisting the former Cuban leader had publicly justified the deadly attack.

The case has revived decades-old diplomatic tensions between the US and Cuba, while drawing fresh international criticism from China and Russia over Washington’s growing pressure campaign against the communist-led Caribbean nation.