The passing of General Ramón Espinosa Martín, the first deputy minister of the Revolutionary Armed Forces (FAR), on Tuesday adds to the list of four other Cuban army generals who died throughout September.
Despite the Cuban regime's persistent efforts to portray retired General Raúl Castro Ruz as an active leader, always ready to tackle challenges, devise strategies, and lead the "revolutionaries," the reality is that the nonagenarian leader's "foot in the stirrup" is faltering under the weight of time.
The former FAR minister—and Cuba's ruler after his brother, the dictator Fidel Castro Ruz, handed over power—has witnessed the passing of five of his comrades in recent days.
Espinosa Martín's death at age 85 follows the deaths of four other FAR generals: Romárico Vidal Sotomayor García (85), Juan Antonio Hernández Hernández (91), Jorge Luis Guerrero Almaguer, and Juan Israel Cervantes Tablada, whose ages were not disclosed in official obituaries.
Raúl Castro's Aging Circle
At 93 years old, General Raúl Castro is seeing his trusted men depart. In addition to those mentioned, in May, he bid farewell to Reserve Division General Leonardo Ramón Andollo Valdés (79).
On September 4th, Castro attended the internment of Vidal Sotomayor's remains but was absent from the other three generals' funerals this month. Having a "foot in the stirrup" only for funeral processions was certainly not in the regime propagandists' plans.
Health Rumors and Public Appearances
The old general's sorrow was further exacerbated by rumors of his death or a severely deteriorated health condition. The phrase "foot in the stirrup" quickly morphed into "foot in the grave" across social media gossip.
Cyberwarriors swiftly countered these rumors, proudly proclaiming #RaúlIsRaúl, but the general hasn't been seen publicly since laying a white rose at Vidal Sotomayor's urn.
End of an Era?
With the arrival of Vietnamese President To Lam in Cuba on Wednesday, many await Raúl Castro's presence—or lack thereof—as a sign that could herald the end of an era in Cuban history. This could practically signify the downfall of the totalitarian and dictatorial regime forged by Fidel and Raúl, supported by those uniformed men who are gradually passing away.