Cuba has amassed more than 300 Russian and Iranian attack drones, and its military has begun internally discussing how it might use them against American targets, according to classified US intelligence described to Axios. US officials assess that Cuba's drone-warfare interest is tied to Russia's war on Ukraine, where thousands of Cuban soldiers have fought in Moscow's ranks. The disclosure arrived alongside a CIA visit to Havana and a looming US indictment of the island's de facto leader.
What the intelligence describes
Cuba has been buying attack drones of varying capability from Russia and Iran since 2023 and storing them at strategic sites across the island, US officials told the outlet. Havana has gone back to Moscow in the last month for additional drones and gear, the senior official said. Intelligence intercepts suggested Cuban officers were studying how Iran has withstood American military pressure.
The assessment names no active attack plan; it describes internal Cuban discussions about Guantanamo Bay, US Navy ships, and possibly Key West, the city 90 miles north of Havana. A senior official acknowledged the intelligence could become a pretext for US military action.
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How Russia's war seeded the threat
Washington puts the number of Cubans who fought in Russia's invasion at up to 5,000, and says some came home to tell the island's commanders how decisive drone warfare had become. For every Cuban it put in the line, the Kremlin paid Havana about $25,000, by US estimates. Ukrainian intelligence has long detailed the scale of this recruitment, telling a US Congress briefing that nearly 20,000 Cubans have served in Russia's army.
A Ukrainian Defense Ministry body says Russia treats these men as expendable frontline infantry. Ukrainian units have captured Cuban fighters in combat, including one detained near Kupiansk who said he was forced to the front. Russian oil keeps the sanctioned island running while its citizens fill Moscow's ranks.
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Pressure on Havana
The Central Intelligence Agency's director, John Ratcliffe, traveled to Cuba on 14 May 2026 and warned officials there against any hostilities, urging them to dismantle the one-party state to lift crippling US sanctions. The US Department of Justice is expected to unseal an indictment of Raúl Castro on 20 May 2026 over his alleged role in the 1996 downing of two planes flown by the Miami exile group Brothers to the Rescue.
US Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth told a congressional hearing on 12 May 2026 that an adversary operating so close to American shores is highly problematic. The moves followed months of escalation: in January 2026, the US president urged Havana to strike a deal or face a full cutoff of oil and money, then declared a national emergency over Cuban government actions he called a threat. In February, he said he saw a chance for a "friendly takeover" of the island. US reconnaissance flights near Cuba sharply increased amid the standoff.
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