Moscow Rejects U.S. Pressure on Cuba After 1996 Plane Case

The Kremlin said Russia opposes U.S. pressure on Cuba and rejected the use of violence against current or former state leaders, after the U.S. Justice Department charged Cuba’s former leader Raúl Castro and five Cuban military personnel over the 1996 downing of two civilian aircraft. The Kremlin spokesman said such methods are unacceptable, underscoring Moscow’s opposition to the case as Washington presses ahead with its legal move. The U.S. said the defendants could face the death penalty or life imprisonment if convicted. Cuba’s government said the actions taken at the time were an act of self-defense and were in line with the United Nations Charter and international aviation rules.