How Maduro’s fall will hit Cuba

Published January 7, 2026 6:00am ET



The capture and arrest of former Venezuelan dictator Nicolas Maduro has created uncertainty for its longtime ally, Cuba.

The two governments are so close that Maduro’s security forces were often from Cuba, which explains why officials in Havana said 32 Cubans were killed in the daring U.S. operation to arrest Maduro and his wife, Cilia Flores, last weekend.

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