An American-registered "speedboat" has allegedly fired upon a boat containing Cuban border guards in Cuban territorial waters; the border guards returned fire, killing four occupants and wounding six.
This is what has been reported so far, keeping in mind that the sole source is the Cuban government.
Note from the Ministry of the Interior:
On the morning of February 25, 2026, a violating speedboat was detected within Cuban territorial waters. The vessel, registered in Florida, United States, with registration number FL7726SH, approached up to 1 nautical mile northeast of the El Pino channel, in Cayo Falcones, Corralillo municipality, Villa Clara province.
When a surface unit of the Border Guard Troops of the Ministry of the Interior, carrying five service members, approached the vessel for identification, the crew of the violating speedboat opened fire on the Cuban personnel, resulting in the injury of the commander of the Cuban vessel.
As a consequence of the confrontation, as of the time of this report, four aggressors on the foreign vessel were killed and six were injured. The injured individuals were evacuated and received medical assistance.
In the face of current challenges, Cuba reaffirms its determination to protect its territorial waters, based on the principle that national defense is a fundamental pillar of the Cuban State in safeguarding its sovereignty and ensuring stability in the region.
Investigations by the competent authorities continue in order to fully clarify the events.
A Cuban Coast Guard has opened fire on a speedboat that entered Cuba’s territorial waters, killing 4 people and injuring 6 others. The vessel was registered in Florida 🇺🇸🇨🇺 pic.twitter.com/35GdECQYKD
— World Monitor (@MonitorWarnow) February 25, 2026
The fact that the Cuban announcement says the wounded boat passengers were "evacuated and received medical assistance" seems to imply that the boat was seized. No information has been provided on the killed and wounded passengers. Thus far, there is no comment from either the Department of War or from U.S. SOUTHCOM.
This may or may not be real. If it is real, it may or may not turn out to be significant.
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