We are preparing to resist
On a small island long accustomed to living in the shadow of a powerful neighbor, Cuba has begun quietly handing its citizens a guide to surviving war. Distributed during the annual Meteoro civil defense exercise in May 2026, the document — titled 'Protect, Resist, Survive, and Win' — instructs ordinary families on emergency kits, shelter locations, and air raid protocols, framing American pressure as an existential threat. It is a gesture that speaks less to imminent bombardment than to the ancient human instinct to prepare for the worst when the distance between tension and catastrophe feels uncomfortably short.
- Cuba's Civil Defense has distributed a wartime survival guide to citizens, signaling that the government views the breakdown in US-Cuba relations as a genuine security threat, not merely political theater.
- A US petroleum blockade has deepened an already severe energy crisis on the island, turning economic pressure into a daily hardship that sharpens the population's sense of siege.
- The guide's quiet release — visible on provincial websites but absent from national state media — reveals a government trying to prepare its people without igniting the very panic it is guarding against.
- Families are being told to stock three days of food and water, locate their nearest shelter, and learn to recognize air raid sirens, while special provisions address the elderly, disabled, children, and pregnant women.
- Cuba has refused Washington's demands for economic and political reform, framing compliance as a surrender of sovereignty — leaving both nations locked in a standoff with no visible off-ramp.
Cuba's Civil Defense agency has distributed a preparedness guide instructing citizens how to survive a military attack. The document, titled 'Protect, Resist, Survive, and Win,' appeared during the country's annual Meteoro civil defense exercise, timed to coincide with National Defense Day. Its emergence reflects how seriously Havana views the deteriorating relationship with Washington.
The guide opens by asserting that the United States threatens military aggression and seeks to destroy Cuban society. It frames civil preparedness as essential wartime infrastructure. Notably, the document circulated through provincial government websites rather than national state media — serious enough to share, restrained enough to avoid amplifying panic.
For families, the guide recommends assembling an emergency kit: identification documents, a battery-powered radio, candles, a flashlight, three days of non-perishable food, water, medications, and toys for small children. On air raids, it instructs citizens to know their designated shelter and, when sirens sound, to move toward basements, tunnels, and trenches capable of absorbing blast waves. Vulnerable populations — the elderly, disabled, children, and pregnant women — receive particular attention.
The backdrop is months of escalating American pressure. Since January, Washington has demanded sweeping economic and political reforms from Havana, which has refused on grounds of national sovereignty. A US petroleum blockade has since worsened an energy crisis already crippling the island. The guide's restrained distribution captures the government's difficult balance: keep citizens informed and ready, without broadcasting fear or appearing to yield to outside pressure. Cuba is now telling its people where to hide.
Cuba's Civil Defense agency has quietly distributed a preparedness guide to its citizens, instructing them how to survive a military attack. The document, titled "Protect, Resist, Survive, and Win," emerged this week during the country's annual Meteoro civil defense exercise, coinciding with the National Defense Day. Its appearance signals how seriously the government views the deteriorating relationship with the United States.
The guide opens with a stark assertion: the United States currently threatens military aggression and aims to destroy Cuban society. It frames civil defense as essential infrastructure for protecting lives during disasters and, explicitly, during wartime. The document has circulated through provincial government websites but has not been amplified by Cuba's national state media, suggesting a measured approach to public distribution—serious enough to disseminate, cautious enough not to amplify panic.
For families preparing for potential attack, the guide recommends assembling an emergency kit containing identification documents, a battery-powered radio, candles, matches, a flashlight, three days of non-perishable food, drinking water, hygiene supplies, medications for chronic conditions, and toys for small children. It also instructs households to prepare a first aid kit. These are the practical details of survival: what to grab, what to keep on hand, how to endure the first seventy-two hours when normal systems may have collapsed.
The guide devotes particular attention to air raid protocols. Citizens are told to monitor for air alarm signals and to know the location of their designated shelter. When sirens sound, the document directs people toward basements, semi-basements, tunnels, and trenches deep enough to withstand blast waves. The guide emphasizes special care for vulnerable populations—people with disabilities, the elderly who cannot fend for themselves, children, and pregnant women. It urges Cubans to learn basic first aid and to stay informed through local defense councils.
This escalation in civil preparedness reflects months of mounting pressure from Washington. Since January, the United States has demanded that Cuba undertake sweeping economic and political reforms. The Cuban government has refused, arguing that its internal systems are matters of national sovereignty and not subject to negotiation. To intensify pressure, the U.S. imposed a petroleum blockade, deepening an energy crisis that was already crippling the island's economy. The combination of economic strangulation and military rhetoric has pushed Cuba's leadership to prepare its population for the possibility of armed conflict.
The guide's quiet distribution—visible on provincial websites but not broadcast nationally—reflects a delicate balance. The government wants citizens informed and ready without triggering widespread alarm or appearing to capitulate to American pressure. It is a message aimed inward: we are preparing to resist. Whether the guide represents genuine military concern or a tool of political messaging, its existence underscores how far the two nations have drifted. Cuba is now instructing its people where to hide.
Citas Notables
The United States currently threatens military aggression and aims to destroy our society— Cuba's Civil Defense guide introduction
Civil Defense's principal mission is to protect lives during disasters and exceptional situations, including different periods of war— Cuba's Civil Defense guide
La Conversación del Hearth Otra perspectiva de la historia
Why distribute this guide now, in this particular way—quietly, through provincial channels rather than a national announcement?
Because it serves two audiences at once. Cubans need practical information if tensions escalate further. But the government also can't appear to be capitulating to American pressure or admitting fear. A quiet distribution lets them prepare people without seeming to panic.
The guide mentions the U.S. threatens to "destroy our society." That's inflammatory language. Is that standard civil defense rhetoric, or is this document also propaganda?
It's both. Civil defense guides do need to explain the threat. But yes, the framing here is political. It's telling Cubans that this isn't a natural disaster—it's an act of aggression by a foreign power. That shapes how people understand what they're preparing for.
The petroleum blockade is mentioned as context. How directly does that connect to why this guide exists now?
It's the pressure valve. The U.S. is squeezing Cuba economically and rhetorically at the same time. The blockade makes the population more vulnerable—less fuel, less electricity, less resilience. So when the government distributes a survival guide, it's acknowledging that vulnerability and trying to build some capacity to endure.
Who is this guide really for? The elderly person living alone? The family with young children?
Everyone, technically. But it's especially for people who have resources—who can afford to stockpile food and water, who have a basement or access to a shelter. The guide mentions vulnerable populations need special attention, but it doesn't explain how a disabled person without family support actually gets to a trench during an air raid.
What does it mean that this hasn't been broadcast by national media?
It means the government wants plausible deniability. If tensions ease, they can say it was just a routine exercise document. If conflict comes, they can say they warned people. It's a way of preparing without committing to the narrative that war is imminent.